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Richmond Hill’s official plan calls for the McConaghy School to be ab- andoned at some time during the next two decades and to be replaced by a new school on a different site. The school at present houses the maximum number of pupils it can accommodate. A further addition (there have already been two), be- However, with the imminent intro- duction of a county-wide board of edueation and the ownership of school properties about to be invested in a county body, the problem becomes real and acute. The fact that the town-owned memorial sat on land owned by the public school board was of little im- portance since both bodies are parts of the municipal government. The location has remained a wise choice throughout the years -â€" with the names of those who lost their lives in World War 11 added to the original structure. As boys, these men had attended the school built in 1918. Following World War I, when Richmond Hill’s War Memorial was erected, the site must have seemed an ideal location. Most of those being honored by the cenotaph had at- tended the school, which was replac- ed by the core of the present L. M. McConaghy Public School in 1918 on the'same site. In fact, five differ- ent buildings on that site have housed the young people of the community in their search for learning since 1816. 2 THE LIBERAL, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Thursday, May 9, 1968 Certainly it wouldn’t result in the case of hydro in Richmond Hill where. for example, the town has a well developed and financed hydro system which has been in existence since 1957. Vaughan’s hydro system just came into existence in 1967 and thus is at a very expensive stage in its development, to say nothing of Several factors should be consid- ered before any final decision is reached on regional government. The taxpayers in Richmond Hill and Vaughan should be told just how much total amalgamation is going to affect them dollar wise. It has been mentioned that savings would re- sult through a pooling of such ser- vices as police, fire, hydro, roads and planning. It has been apparent for some time now that Richmond Hill and Vaughan are both strong advocates of some form of regional government for the southern part of York County. Markham. Stouffville and Wood- bridge Villages have been somewhat cool to the idea, while Markham Township has been in outright op- position to the proposal. Markham and Woodbridge Villages sent observ~ ers to the April 29 meeting while Markham Township and Stouffville ignored it. . ‘ Vaughan and Richmond Hill are spearheading a drive to bring about amalgamation of the Southern Six municipalities (Richmond Hill, Mark- ham, Vaughan, Markham Village, Woodbridge and Stouffville). On April 29 these two councils passed a joint resolution calling on the prov- ince to bring about at least an amal- gamation of Vaughan and Richmond Hill but preferably a total joining of all of the Southern Six municipalities. Throughout the province. local mill rates vary because of wide divergences in assessment. In many municipalities. assessment is about one third of market value. The reason of course is_the inâ€" troduction by the province of its much heralded basic shelter ex- emption on the first $2,000 of assessment for every property owner and tenant in the province. However. the exact amount of the tax credit to be allowed will vary slightly from municipality to municipality in accordance with what is called "the provincial equalization factor." By MARGARET McLEAN It could be that local residents will actually look forward to get- ting their tax bills this year. just to enjoy the exotic experience (in the sense of rare. strange. won- derful) of finding the total bill reduced. Need More Information, Debate On Amalgamation VU L A‘ Subscription Rate $4.50 per year; to United States $6.00; 10c single copy F' Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association Published by Richmond Hill Liberal Publishing Co. Ltd. W. S. COOK, Publisher "Authorized as second class mail, Post Office Department, Ottawa” Shelter Exemption Grant Will Reduce Local Tax Bills But Town Cenotaph Site An Independent Weekly: Established 1878 013112 liberal In Markham Township, the equalization factor has been set at 19. In the urbanized southwest portion of the township, where residents are in a lighting and water area and support TSA 1 public schools and York Central District High Schools, the mill rate this year is approximately 121 mills. By taking 19‘? of this 121 mills. a rate of 23 mills is arrived at. Multiplying this by $2.000 (the portion of assessment on which the exemption is allowedl Accordingly, there will be varia- tions in the basic shelter exemp- tion in local municipalities, ac- cording to how high properties are assessed there in comparison to others. The “equalized mill rate" was devised to convert the local mill rates to what they would be if all property were assessed at market value. This is an historic site, since edu- cation has been carried out on it since 1816. We agree with Deputy- reeve Floyd Perkins that it should be preserved for posterity as a small passive recreation park. Therefore. Richmond Hill Council’s move, suggested by Councillor John MacDiarmid, to acquire a deed for the site from the public school board is a necessary and timely one. We know that the two bodies will come to a satisfactory settlement while there is yet time. If it is possible, we would suggest that the school board also recom- mend to its successor that if, and when, the entire site comes on the market the town be given preference in i_ts_purchase at a reasonable figure. If the new county board decides to follow this plan, unless the town is then financially able to purchase the entire site, it may Well fall into the hands of developers who will want to erect a high rise apartment building. By that time under new zoning reg- ulations this will be permissible. That such a purchaser would be con- tent to sacrifice highly valuable Yonge Street frontage for the pres- ervation of the memorial is doubtful, and he would be under no obligation to do so. cause of the limited area of the play- grounds is undesirable. Since a large percentage of the pupils must cross Markham Road and Yonge Street, both with very heavy traffic loads, its Yonge Street location is no longer satisfactory. These and other questions will have to be answered before a realistic assessment can be made of such a major proposal as amalgamation. Markham Township does not look with favor on the plan, preferring to keep its identity as a separate mun- icipality. The question then arises, should it be forced into annexation against its will? The position of the county is also the subject of serious thought, as amalgamation would re- duce the present 14 municipalities to eight. What is paramount is, could the county survive if it loses such a large and important tax base as the Southern Six? Two of the main problems which must be resolved before any amal- gamation can become a reality is the position of Markham Township and the county, and to a lesser extent Markham, Stouffville and Wood- bridge Villages. It stands to reason that before making any decision on the present application, the province would want to be conversant with their attitude to the proposal. It also should be remembered that in the matter of fire and police serv- ices in a township covering many miles such as Vaughan does, larger departments are required than in the compact urban area of a town. Plan- ning and the provision of recreation facilities (Metro Planning Board and the Metro Conservation Authority) do lend themselves to regional co- operation. the fact that Vaughan had to pay a great deal more in 1967 to purchase its system from the province and therefore has a resulting higher de- benture debt than Richmond Hill did in 1956, the year it purchased its system. Highest exemption in Vaughan Township will go to supporters of the Richmond Hill Separate School system. Their total mill rate is 121.9 and they will receive an ex- emption grant of $56.07. Support- ers of CRCSS Markham and Vaughan (St‘ Luke's Separate School) will have an exemption of $51.47. In Vaughan Township, the equalization factor is 23 and with a mill rate of 108.9 for a public school supporter, the exemption will be $49.87. There will be slight variations on .this amount for those in lighting or water areas. Separate school supporters will receive a slightly larger exemp- tion. in the same proportion that their school rate is higher than public school rates. a figure of $46 is will be the basic tion for the area. KNOW WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT? When a neighbor comâ€" ments on the week's news, don’t be caught short. Make it a habit to read “The Liberal" every Thursday for latest develop- ments in local government, edu- cation and community affairs. [Ink-Ill u ‘yuu wuuxu July UCLIIS martyrs, become unbored, stop being spectators and passive re- ceivers and get into the doing and giving lineup. You will know by now that I am an old biddy. I am tired of hearing that someone got low marks because they have a Pondering all these things Mr. McKeough may well wonder at the difficulties he is experi- encing in giving away money. Finally, and Mr. McKeough is hardly likely to come up with an answer to this one. what is to prevent a council from spending an extra amount ap- proximating the grand total and getting it back in taxes it would not otherwise demand? mmmmm\uuuuuunluuummuu“muluuuumuuuuunuumu Other provinces and states provide grants to householders and must have some answers. The grant in British Columbia is more than double that pro- posed in Ontario and is viewed as homesteader aid rather than a basic shelter grant. The difficulties this presents are obvious. Who can be sure a tenant will stay the full year? This uncertainty of occupancy makes it clear that the rebate cannot be in lump sum. One ans- wer is a reduction in rent. But where does this put a landlord who raises the rent? Who will determine if the rental increase is legitimate or just a way of making sure the landlord re-i tains the grant? The provincial grants go to the municipality for distribution and the local treasury is respon- sible for seeing that it gets to the individual. In the case of persons renting premises, they and not the landlord are to be the recipients, in theory any- way, of the governmental larg- esse. Private home owners appear to have no great problem. They can exert direct representation on the municipality to get their money. But the speech Mr. Mc- Keough made introducing the somewhat delayed legislation indicates why it has come late. Mr. McKeough, in short. has a financial tiger by the tail be- cause he hasn’t yet been able to find out how to make certain the money will get to the right people. Ontario Municipal Affairs Minister Darcy McKeough hadn’t better sit around too long waiting for constructive critic- ism of his new bill providing basic shelter grants. This is one time when the critics will be‘ speaking in vague generalitiesl for the simple reason that it is so difficult to find specifics. ‘ M cK eough’s Financial Tiger (Kitchener - Waterloo Record) "Ape Hanger: " And Side Saddle Passenger: Illegal permitted. In case you’ve forgotten during the winter while your motorcycle was in storage, new safety regulations came into effect in Ontario last October 1. Because unusually high handle bars can hinder a driver’s control of his bike, they must now be no more than 15 inches above the uppermost portion of the seat provided for the operator when the seat is depressed by the weight of the operator. The new Department of Transport regulations aim at passenger safety too. A passenger may ride on a passenger seat behind the driver only if it is securely fastened, if there are foot rests and if the passenger sits astride the seat with feet on the foot rests. Sidecars are still obtained which shelter exemp- Hill Residents Get Greatest Rebate As the general tax rate has gone up in both Richmond Hill and Markham Township, residents there will not receive an overall reduction on their tax bills equal to the amount of the exemption. In Vaughan Township, on the other hand. the residential mill rate has gone down by a half mill, so residents will receive not only the basic shelter exemption, but another few dollars off their gen- eral tax rate. Highest of the local equaliza- tion factors is that of Richmond Hill where a figure of 38 will be applied to compensate for the town's generally higher assessment. A public school supporter paying a mill rate of 82.51 will receive an exemption of $62.75. Separate school supporters in Richmond Hill, however, whose school costs are considerably higher, will receive an exemption of $72.83, the highest in the area. You are intelligent enough to criticize and to know what you don’t like so you should be in- telligent enough to work out your problems. I know you need leaders and you would get them if you would stop being martyrs, become unbored, stop being spectators and passive re- ceivers and get into the doing and giving lineup. And your solution. To whom are you speaking? Isn’t it the ineffectual older people who have failed to provide you with the opiate of excitement â€" the mysterious "They" you are ask- ing to make a survey. Why don’t you break your boredom and make this survey yourself? Why don’t you find this super young person who could “pos- sibly find some activity for you!” Possibly was the right word because you would be bor- ed with his efforts in a short time. Your next move is to get backers who are willing to let you have equipment and space. Simple? No it is not. But it is what many older people have done for teenagers only to find that the whole thing was boring. We hear a great deal about the problems of our teenagers. Pierre Berton would like to see sidewalk cafes. piazzas, a to- getherness not found in the sub- urbs. Part of the blame he places on the shoulders of de- velopers and politicians. Some teenagers cry about "boring hours" and blame adults for lack of planning. Your editorial dated May 2 re the need of recreation facilities suggests a greater contribution by developers. All in all, it ap- pears that everybody is blaming everybody else for the short- comings of our society. I don’t wish to go on record and say that I know all the ans- wers. but surely, are we not rig-altar: Barn un‘Hn a emu" min, And your solution. To whom are you speaking? Isn’t it the ineffectual older people who have failed to provide you with the opiate of excitement â€" the mysterious "They" you are ask- ing to make a survey. Why don’t you break your boredom and make this survey yourself? Were you never taught that you are as responsible as your host for the success of your en- tertainment and this applies to public entertainment such as "The Hole Thing” at the United Church as well as private. Why must you always be provided with excitement? Don’t you know anything about quiet plea-t sure? Dear Anonymous the word “bored” should not be in your vocabulary. A possible reason for your boredom is that your dominant thought is â€"â€" enter- tain ME and then you practical- ly dare anyone to do it. The writer naively expresses the problem several times, “One gets tired of doing the same thing." “After awhile it gets boring if nothing exciting is happening". “If We hang around the management doesn’t like it.” etc. I am sorry that I did not read Margaret McLean’s article April 18 but I would like to express sincere sympathy to “Anony- mous Teenager” whose letter appeared in the April 25 issue of “The Liberal" because (she) tells a sad story. Dear Mr. Editor THE MARTYRDOM WE ARE ALLOWING OUR TEEN- AGERS TO ENJOY the mill mill, only Developers, politicians, can- not be responsible for student protest and teenage rebellion. There is a great deal more to be considered. First of all, pro- testing does not necessarily mean condemning. Without I don’t wish to go on record and say that I know all the ans- wers. but surely, are we not dealing here with a small min- ority? Like the ‘mother who wrote, “Let’s stop giving pub- licity to the whiners” I am con- scious of the fact that where there are good parents, teenag- ers develop a strong moral fibre and don’t stray. Dear Mr. Editor Do read Ken Hamilton’s Col- umn, High School Sports. April 25 issue of “The Liberal". Believe me. Anonymous, this is “To you, with love’fl I must correct you, you do not speak for all teenagers. I know a great many in that age bracket and not one has a chronic case of boredom and neither do they have money to “Hop down to Toronto” for ac- tion. That too, is an illusion. I think they are content because they are preparing for the fut- ure and they have not succumb- ed to a defeatist view that there; is no future and they enjoy the simple pleasures that are avail- able. 1 “lousy” teacher. I am tired of hearing that the game was lost because the other fellow cheat‘ ed and I am sick and tired of hearing that it is the fault of parents when young people make a mess of life. I am sick of all this alibiing and passing the buck. You are healthy and you are smart. You have ad- vantages that were never avail- ble to your parents so start working on your own problems. “PIAZZA PIERRE” The scheme will also increase administrative costs, Mr. Bailey warned. Vaughan Township, for instance, has 24 different mill rates. according to whether propâ€" erties are public or separate school supporters, in water or lighting areas. or in police villages, etc. The exemption in each of these areas must be calculated separ- ately. “It will increase our short term borrowing costs," he said, “because we won’t be paid by the province until late in the fall. We have to give the rebate now (when the tax bills go out) and then wait for the province to give it to us." In spite of the apparent reduc- tion in taxes. Vaughan Reeve Brian Bailey points out that the administrative costs to the mun- icipalities in the scheme will ev- entually result in higher costs to the taxpayers. The number of mill rates per RR 2. Gormley MRS. LOREN GUILD, The nature of a living entity is to function as an active being. It will function in a meaningful way or in a nega~ tive way, and if positive, crea- tive and outgoing activity is de- nied it it will seek excitement and relief from boredom in ways which may have deleteri- ous effects. The nature of the adolescent Continued on Page 14! As a developer, I will give land for parks and recreation facilities, I will build “Piazza Pierre", but the voters must tell their representatives to pre- pare plans and think big for only large scale planning can move the thinking of provincial politicians and excite the vision of federal representatives. I am afraid we are entertain- ing urban social changes with a rural mentality, or applying urban mentality to rural en- vironment. Let us begin by sorting out the two. Yours truly, C. DqMILANI, Milani & Milani Holdings Ltd., 44 Uplands Avenue. Thornhill. The closing talk given byrthe chairman of the meeting was excellent and perceptive in going to the roots of the matter: Are we somehow failing the youth of today? Don’t they want humanistic identification? Last week I listened to a rather sad discussion by wor- ried and puzzled parents on the drug problem and their fears for their children. The anguish was real. Perhaps those who advocate the removal of all religious training from the schools, that a teacher should not use punish- ment to instill in a student re- spect for civil laws and that mothers and fathers should turn their offspring over to others to be raised, should not look to developers to solve: social problems. IS LIFE T00 BORING AND STULTIFYING‘.’ Dear Mr. Editor: youth involvement, our society will decay. The energy emanat- ing from it needs only to be directed into useful channels. Where, in the past, the direc- tion came first from parents, second from the church, third from the schools. today we have abandoned all this and think it should be the responsibility of government, starting at the municipal level. The shelter exemption grant is the only recommendation of the Smith Report on Taxation which the government has yet adopted. Its basic purpose was to offset the regressive aspects of the property tax. That is, those with low in- come spent a larger proportion of their incomes on the provision of shelter, whether through owning or renting shelter. Thus those with low income carry a property tax load which is relatively higher Mr. Bailey also expressed con- cern over calls on the time of the treasurer who could presumably be called to give evidence each time a tenant swears out a war- rant against a landlord for non- remission of the grant. “Our treasurer could be tied up in court for months," he said. municipality of course varies wide- ly: There are four in Richmond Hill â€" and 87 in Pickering Town- ship! Produce Hidden Costs I have a reason for this way of travelling. I want to reveal the world that doesn’t make the news c01- umns. It’s not spectacular enough, or sensational enough or negative enough. It is a world of people doing ordinary things, having private opinions about the world, and the things that children like. It’s a world we take for granted and that we hardly ever take time to see. How long is it since you ever really looked at the person you’re talking to? ‘ i In 1119 Sp 011i ght --â€"-. v-.. vw V Vv-, r,, Also I want to communicate to those heroic people whose only means of travel is by armchair, wheel chair, or with the help of a friendly neighbor; or perhaps their only means of travel is on the magic carpet of their own imaginations. (Continued on Page 14) I'm taking a different course for I’ll be travel- ling the streets of Thornhill and Richmond Hill on foot. I love to walk. I do my best thinking, won- dering and admiring that way. And I meet people, young people, children and old people. Those who are too old to drive cars and those who are too young. This being on foot is a real bond between myself and them. From the grounded people comes a fine mutual enjoyment in what’s available, like rain, sunshine, grass and flowers and other things too numerous to mention. There are a lot of people travelling about these days, flying, ‘going by car, bus and boat to almost anywhere. This spring and summer and perhaps fall, espec- ially if balmy weather comes along, I intend to do what I’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t find the time. Travel! Many people saw “The Soldiers” when it was given its Engliéh language premiere by Theatre Toronto last February, but those of us who were (Continued on Page 14) For the antique show the large house and coach house are filled with the displays, and a marquee houses the well reputed Chez Gourmet. Each year the best cooks in Brantford create their most cher- ished recipes for the festival. If you don’t want to take the time for a gourmet lunch or dinner, there is also a snack bar. The last day of the show is Friday. May 10. from 11 am to 10 pm. Admission is one dollar, and parking is free. Glenhyrst is an elegantly landscaped sixteen acre estate overlooking the Grand River, and was bequeathed to the City of Brantford in 1955 by Edmund L. Cockshutt. on the understanding that it be used as a culture centre. The large and gracious mansion lends itself perfectly to gallery exhibitions, and the Glenhyrst Arts Council offers highly qual- ified, professional instruction in drawing. painting, and many other cultural subjects. Rambling Around Local dealers attending the festival include Margaret and Noel Binns. Kinghorn. King City, the Norris’s of the Penny Farthing, Newmarket, and Margaret Philip, Canadian Homestead Antiques, Markham. A seventy mile drive, most of it on a quiet strip of 401 west of Toronto, will take you to Brantford where the tenth annual antique show is taking place at Glenhyrst Gardens, the Art Gallery of Brantford. This show has an enviable reputation far beyond Ontario, and dealers come from miles away to take advantage of showing their antiques in ideal sur- roundings. If you go on a jaunt this week there will be the added bonus of the beautiful countryside. The blos- soms are out, and the feathery effect of trees about to burst into leaf makes Ontario look like a Grandma Moses painting. Browsing around the countryside on an antique hunt is a most pleasant way of spending a sunny spring day. There is the excitement of wondering whether you will return with an inexpensive piece of trivia that appealed to your sentimental eye, or a long sought-after treasure unearthed at just the right price. And Adventure By The Way By JOAN HAROLD The shelter exemption brings about a graduating of property taxes according to ability to pay. This is achieved by placing the ex- emption on only the first $2,000 of assessment. A $50 exemption from a tax bill of $1,500 will have little affect on the pocketbook of someone who pays a tax of that magnitude but a $50 deduction from a bill of $300 will be an appreciable relief to the owner of a more humble dwelling. The act provides $150 million in assistance toward property taxes but will cost the province $850,000 to administer this year, although this cost is expected to be reduced substantially next year. The tax credit system will in- (-rt‘ase the level of provincial sub- sidies from 43’} of provincial rev- enues in 1967 to 48% in 1968. than that carried by those with a larger income. by Elizabeth Kelson