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Canine Control Officer James Ryan cautions people considering the gift of a Christmas Pet. particularly a kitten or a pup, to consider the matter carefully; Once the novelty wears off and the pet ceases to be a kit- ten or a puppy. in many in- stances the animal is ne- glected since its care has be come a chore. The whole family must want the pet and be willing to look after it. A Pet For Christmas Should Be Family Concern If you are finally convinc- ed that your family wants a pet and its attendant care, then Mr. Ryan would appreâ€" ciate a call ‘at 889-1081 or 887-5562. He often has young animal: which would be very grateful to be adopted into a kind home. His kennels are locatcd on the Gormley Side- road‘ just east of Bruces Mill Concerv-ation Area. Mr. Ryan welcomes new- comers to the Richmond Hill, Markham and Vaughan area and withe< to advi<e them that reflrictions regarding The main restrictions are against dog: running at largeâ€"this means any dog found on anv public road or place. not attended by a re- spomible person. A dog dng? are enforced in the thre" n‘uniciwalitie: in which he i< recponciblr for canine control. ‘ luau. JUEL tam. VI 111 “LCD lVlI‘. nyan also aClVlseS (10g- Mill Conservation Area. owners to raise chains off Mr. Ryan welcomes newâ€" the ground and provide an comers to the Richmond Hill, elevated hook on which to Markham 3nd Vaughan area hang it when not in use. This and Wi‘hes t0 adVi‘e them will prevent the possibility of that restrictions regardinglthe chain being frozen into dog? are enforced in the the ice and becoming useless thre" municiralities in which as a method 0f control. he is responsible for canine Doors and gates of kennels control. ' should be kept free of snow The main restrictions are and ice so that they will not against dogs running at stick and remain open. largeâ€"this means any dog‘ The best method of keep- found on anv public road or; ing a dog happy is on a run- placc. not attended by a re-zning lead. If you would like sponsible person. A dog further details on how to recent morning, an emerg- ency call to the fire depart- ment reported a bad two-car head-on collision at the in- tersection of Wellington Street West and Dufferin Street. Police, firemen and an ambulance responded to find nothing. In the mean- time a police car had to be used as an ambulance at an- other collision because the ambulance was responding to the false alarm. This is the 14th such alarm handled by the fire department since September. Mlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll“llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllEllllll‘ :lllllll1 Markham, Vaughan and King Township have all built ice arenas and there have been some other These three acts of philanthropy have done a great deal to improve the community facilities in Mark- ham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan since that day more than a year ago when we said the three towns were in dire need of all sorts of amenities because of the local resi- dential explosion. It is evident individual citizens are doing some- thing about the situation. But what about the town councils? We look forward to the realiza- tion of this latest individual kind- ness to our citizens. We are cer- tain the trustees will receive the highest level of genuine co-opera- tion from the Towns of Vaughan and Markham and any other local authorities wherever it is required. Fortunate indeed are we, for this is the third such act of citi- zenship within about a year to benefit Southern York. First there was the gift of land upon which Richmond Hill Town was able to build the Bond Lake arena, then there was the gift in Markham of health and welfare centre land used in part for a retarded child- ren’s residence, and now a major legacy to Thornhill. We heartily agree with York Region Administrator Jack Rettie that it is a tremendous, wonderful, marvelous thing for there to be such great citizens among us, tak- ing such an interest in community welfare. There is no greater public need here in Southern York Region right now than that for open park- land and library facilities. Most certainly a handsome gift is the $200,000 library-park legacy recently reported left to the Thornhill community upon the death of an anonymous philanthro- pist in Florida. This is the first year for On- tario‘s Property Tax Credit Plan, introduced in this year's budget under which tenants and prop- erty owners claim a tax rebate when they file income tax re- turns next year. The amount of the creditâ€" and it is a credit and not a cash rebate or one which can be deducted when you pay your municipal taxesâ€"will depend on three things: 0 Income. 0 Family size. 0 Tax assessment. The system operates on a very simple formula that you can easily work out. Some will get more. others will get less but the average payment will be $71 under the scheme which will cost the prov- ince about $170 million com- pared to about $158 million under the previous system. Homeowners start with a basic credit of $90 to which they add 10 per cent of the amount of property tax paid and from this total, they deduct one per cent of their taxable income. Tenants are allowed the same basic credit and then add two per cent of the rent they have paid during 1972 and deduct one per cent of their taxable income. Landlords won't be playing the role of Santa Claus this month and tenants won't find rebate cheques in their Christ- mas stockings this year. For both owner and tenant RNA arm liberal THE LIBERAL, Richmond Hill», Ontario, Thursday, Dec. 14, 1972 'I'hornhill Philanthropy Subscription Rate $6.00 per year; to United States $7.00; 15¢ Single copy Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Member Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association Published by Richmond Hill Liberal Publishing Co. Division of Burlington Printing Co. Ltd. W. S. COOK, Publisher “Second class mail, registration number 0190” An Independent Weekly: Established 1878 The canine control officer also warns that allowing ones dog to roam at will is an open invitation to the invasion of one's family with rabies. It is natural for a dog to attack a wild animal that is helpless. Since many rabid skunks were found in the Thornhill area this summer and only last week a brush wolf was picked up in that same area and is now in rabies isolation, that danger is very real. Because a dog besides be- ing the most popular pet is the one most likely to infect the family, it should be kept under better control. Mr. Ryan also advises dog- own‘ers to raise chains off the ground and provide an elevated hook on which to hang it when not in use. This will prevent the possibility of the chain being frozen into the ice and becoming useless as a method of control. Doors and gates of kennels should be kept free of snow and ice so that they will not stick and remain open. is not considered to be un- der contrcl unless on a leash held by a responsible person. The penalty for disobeying this bylaw can be $50. the maximum credit is $250 but very few will get it. Across the board, benefits are reduced. for credits are not allowed on second residences nor can they be claimed by non- residents. In other words. if you own a cottage and live in it for three months. you can claim for only those three months and must deduct three months from your principal residence claim. You can't have it both ways. The formula for the tax credit is based on a study conducted in Guelph. the first municipality in Ontario to complete re- assessment. but it presents a fairly accurate picture of what Hamilton tenants and owners can expect. Using the average property tax for each income class in the province. those who earn up to $2,500 a year will be eligible for a maximum credit of $122. Those who earn from $5,500 to under $6,000. taxed as single will get a credit of $55 and the credit is scaled upward, depend- ing on the number of depend- ants. Further up the income ladder, payment in the form of deduc- tions from income tax will be reduced. In the case of the single person who earns be- The very low income families will benefit most and those in higher incomes might end up without any tax credit when it comes time to file their returns. Individual citizens are aware and are showing they care. It’s time for more leadership from our town councils. We don’t have to go any further than neighboring Metro Toronto to see the unhappy result we face if we don’t do this planning and if we don’t take action before all available open land is gobbled up by urbanization. Only then will the municipalities know where they are headed, where they fall shortest and how to plan the proper action. We say again our town planners must prepare a parks, recreation and public land blueprint. Such a blue- print would be of untold value as a guide for the town councils, for the public in general, for any future citizen philanthropy and perhaps for the regional council andl other levels of government as wel . On that occasion more than a year ago, and perhaps a time or two since, we have said the towns need to assess their present park, recreation and public land re- sources. They need to further assess what prospects theyvhave in hand for such future resources and compare these findings with what is reasonably required. Obviously they aren’t in pros- pect in sufficient quantity. We need more such acts of generosity as these three we have had. Surely there are many more such fine citizens as these, and they will appear in their time. However, the municipalities can hardly deny they have a greater responsibility than they so far have shown. scattered improvements. But still, where are our town squares, public gardens, new parks large and small, new sports fields and other public land areas needed to serve the many thousands of new people? These officers will help any pet owner in every way they can to keep animals un- der control and happy at the same time. On the other hand people who do not, and will not, make proper provi- sion for animals will be dealt with severely. A number of people in this area this summer have ac- quired ponies and do not have proper shelters and fa- cilities for keeping them through the winter. Again the canine control officer offers his help in showing how these facilities .can be provided. construct one on your prop- erty. call the canine control office and an officer will be sent to explain the best way‘ AURORA: At 2:30 on a Some provinces offer home- owner grants, but Ontario does not consider this system a fair equalizer in a period when the value of money is decreasing. Also, grants are sometimes look- ed upon as plums. offered to the electorate in an attempt to gain support for the party in power. Under the old system, the tax credit formula was based on $30 basic rebate, plus 10 per cent of the average residential tax, or a ceiling of 50 per cent of the total municipal tax levy, which- ever was the lesser. Ontario is the first in North America to base its tax credit plan on the ability to pay and it will undoubtedly be copied by other provinces if it proves successful. tween 39.000 and $9,499, the credit will be $15 ($25 if he has one dependent. $70 if he has five). Under the new system the joint burden of income and property taxes is reduced by seven per cent for those with gross income below $2,500 and by about two per cent for in- comes up to $5,500 and about one per cent for incomes up to $10.000. This system provided a cer- tain amount of relief for all tax- payers but did not help the lowest level income group on an equitable basis. Acsoss the land. Saskatchewan illllllllllllllllmlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll“lll“llllllllllll“llllll“HullllllllllllllllllllllllllllllIll“lll“llllllllllllllllll“!l“\llllmlllllllllllll!11-9 Nevertheless, n ow thal the election is over, and the results have been determâ€" ined, I feel obliged to an- swer a letter addressed to one of my workers (with a copy to me) from a resident of Ward 4 whom I assume to be a member of the fair sex. I. have checked with the party to whom the original letter was addressed and make the following com- ment: At no time did I suggest to anyone that they should plump their vote on my be- half; although ironically it would appear that both suc- cessful candidates may very well have been the bene- ficiaries of this practice.‘ The letter suggests that my campaign, in Ward 4 at least, was predicated on: 2. That I have made dis- paraging remarks concern- ing one of my opponents. To those people who voted against me because of my stand on any issues, of which there were many, that is certainly their democratic right, and I gladly accept their verdict on my record in office, but to suggest that my campaign was based on slurs, innuendos and single vote preference, indicates I think a basic ignorance of the writer of that letter. I hope she will read my reply which I point out is not anonymous. I person. ally have no wish to repre- sent the resident in question politically, professionally. or in any other way. 1. Suggesting that voters only have one vote for reg- ional councillor. With respect to the alle- gation that some of my work- ers made derogatory com- ments about one of my op- ponents â€" the only thing which was said and which came from me was that one of my opponents politically and actively supported in- creased development and growth in this town, and no doubt received support from people sympathetic to that point of view. I have never in the past attempted to answer anony- mous “poison pen letters" because I do not feel the writers of such letters merit any consideration. I am not suggesting that there is anything illegal or in fact unethical in voting for one candidate, I merely point out that to suggest that I, or any of the people work- ing for me, suggested this practice, is a blatant lie. Dear Mr. Editor POISON PEN LETTER tax bill. Ontario's relief of pr Basic She Scheme, i1 The presel lows reco after a tw. original sci In making its report 1 week. the Ontario Ministry Treasury, Economics and tergovernmental Affairs 5 that analysis of the Gue study confirmed a number widely held views about impact of property tax. tergovernmental Affairs said that analysis of the Guelph study confirmed a number of widely held views about the impact of property tax. “The residential property tax in Ontario was regressive, par- ticularly at the lower end of the income scale. The burden of property tax fell more heavily on pensioners than on any other group of taxpayers and in the past, provincial relief of property taxes in the form of basic shelter grants only partly offset’the regressive nature of the tax. “The property tax credit plan. by comparison, produces a signi- ficant redistribution of tax bur- dens so that the combined inâ€" cident of property tax, plus in- come tax, becomes progressive over the entire spectrum of inâ€" comes", the report said. a maximum of toba offers all mininum of $50 vides for a gra plied against th tax bill. In week max‘ of property taxes was the Shelter Exemption he, introduced in 1968. present plan closely fol- recommendations made a two year study of the lal scheme. making its report this the Ontario Ministry of An influx of immigrants at this stage of our economic decline would only increase the heavy compention for jobs and housin" It is hard enough to look ...ter our own without adepting other peo- ple that would only add to our national burdens. I commend the federal government for finally re- stricting immigration until such time as this country can economically absorb new entries. If we were to continue the competition for housing and jobs we would only be disâ€" criminating against our ow peofi , It is much better for a co ntry to be underpopu- lated than undernourished. BEVERLEY DALTON, 26 'Colborne Street, Thornhill. What kind of commerce is carried on at this shopping plaza? I thought they were doing quite well when one compares prices elsewhere, but it is too bad when any business has to resort to such means to get people to buy from them. The person who came up with this sign wasn’t a topnotch swindler because he left out the star. Maybe he is antiâ€"Christian. With the spirit of Christ- mas surrounding us, we look around to see and admire some of the evidence that people show at this time. some from habit and others from the feeling of their own hearts. My main reason for this letter is to object to the bill- board put up by Richmond Heights Centre. It cannot be called a decoration but at this time of year anything with a Christmas Scene seems to attract the eye of concerned people. As far as the two success- ful regional councillors are concerned I believe we fought a clean campaign, and that the choice was based on the issues as the three of us saw them, and I wish them nothing but success in the future. If anyone wishes to see the anonymous letter, they may do so at their leisure. Dear Mr. Editorâ€"â€" Speaking to other resi- dents of Richmond Hill I OTTAWA SHOULD HALT IMMIGRATION Dear Mr. Editor: ‘io's first measur f property taxes Shelter E x e n DONALD PLAXTON. 116 Yonge Street North Richmond Hill. THREE WISE MEN grant the measure for the of $150 owner's ] rt this stry of nd In- 5 said qulph D ap- local As a resident of Richmondi Hill, who felt it my duty as well as privilege to vote in, the municipal election, I alsoI feel that as a taxpayer I have a right to hear the re- sults of my vote and others.’ I expected to hear these reâ€" sults on our local radio staâ€" tion. I I hope our new mayor, whoever he is. will investi- gate this situation and in- clude it in his changes to be made in the New Year. MARGARET O‘TOOLE, Having tried, without any succcss, both on the evening of December 4 and the next morning from 6:55 am until I had to leave my home after the 8:25 news broadcast. to get the results of the municA ipal elections from CFGM. I am very disillusioned with what I understood to be the Richmond Hill radio station. I telephoned CFGM, listed in the Richmond Hill tele- phone book under a Toronto telephone number. with no reply after the 7:25 news. After the 8:25 news I was fortunate enough to get a recorded message which in- formed me to call back dur- ing business hours, which were not specified. I listened to two recordings of Toronto‘s new mayor, Dav- id Crombie, was also inform- ed of the successful candi- dates in Etobicoke, Scarboro, North York and other more distant municipalities, but not one mention was made of local candidates. 1 think this is a disgrace. Why are the residents of Richmond Hill and surround- ing areas not entitled to elec- tion information from our 10- cal t?) Richmond Hill radio station CFGM? find few are happy about this sign. The plaza could have wished us a Merry Christmas but instead they are telling us if we shop south of Levendale we are not wise.- WHY NO ELECTION RESULTS? Dear Mr. Editorâ€" 8 fl. oz. tin MARGARET O'TOOLE, "fir/.5")? 475 South Taylor Mills, "Ella Richmond Hill. i WALTER LAITE, 308 South Taylor Mills Richmond Hill. Turn to page 1 8. You’ll find more of the right prices. Heinz ready toV serve soups on at a new special price. But many lazy and greedy people still will risk being caught if the prize out- weighs the punishment. Those who take criminal» advantage of society’s hu- mane acts should be treated ‘by a method they can un- derstand. They should be compelled not only to pay back the money they have taken illegally, plus interest, but to pay a fine substanti-al‘ enough to teach them that money has to be honestly. earned. Through the efforts of 10â€", cal and provincial police, wel-y fare fraud sharks are being‘ caught. Despite the m‘illions‘ .of dollars and thousands of‘ ‘individual cases processed! ‘by welfare agencies. the i chances of committing a suc-. ‘cessful fraud are becoming‘ l slim and growing slimmer. mmuumummnummuuuummmmunnuunmummuuu Easier Night Driving Stealing Welfare transmission 0 greater visual efficiency anti-reflection lens coating 0 reduces reflections . improves light Public welfare is more than a means to survival for people unable, through no fault of their own, to earn a living; it's a target for clever freeloaders who try to plunder working tax- paying citizens. The Provincial Police deci- sion to co-ordin'ate the wel- fare fraud investigations by municipal police should bring useful results to both victimsâ€"the taxpayers who have been robbed and the legitimate welfare recipient: who became the unwitting prey of the inevitable back- lash. More than the price is right. with SUBFGME (Hamilton Spectator) BRADDOCK OPTICAL Richmond Heights Centre Richmond Hill 884-6881 EFFECIIVE UNTIL DEC. 19 lnihe Spotligth Llended and bottled by Joseph E. Seagram & Sons Ltd.. Waterloo, Ont. We asked Mr. Luka the prerequisites of a potential member who wishes to join the Ecu~ menical Choir. He said, “We strive for two things: (1) Giving pleasure to those who sing and (2) Giving pleasure to those who listen. There should be a minimum of 80 percent attendance at rehearsals.” You do not have to be a prima donna to join . . . but you should be able to read music. At that time it was comprised of nine local church choirs and the York Choraleers. And the York Symphony Orchestra accompanied the group. Division, will accompany the choir, with Mrs. Beth Harwood at the piano. The concert will also include instrumental ensembles by the Richmond Hill Youth Band, directed by Bob Thiel. Mrs. Jean Malyon will play . . . that most magical interpreter of heavenly music . . . the harp. (Incidentally, so well known has RHEC be~ Come, members of the Canadian Opera Company have asked to take part in its Easter Offering “The Creation”.‘) Ed Luka, Hon. B.A. Ed., chairman of arts at Kawartha Parks Secondary, Mississauga Board of Education, is conductor. Mr. Luka told me the choir, which was organized in the fall of 1970, has changed in structure since its first perform- ance at St. Mary’s in the spring of 1971. A gift of music is in store for music lovers . . . ..no will come from many points in Ontario for the Christmas Offering of Carols by the Richmond Hill Ecumenical Choir, Friday and Saturday of this week, December 15 and 16. Friday night’s concert is at Our Lady Queen of the World Roman Catholic Church, Bayview Avenue North. Saturday night the programme will be heard at St. Mary’s Anglican Church, Yonge Street South. Both concerts start at 8 pm. This year there are 74 amateurs and five professional singers in the choir . . . from all over Richrpongl Hint Aurora, Orangeville and Toronto. Gordon Fleming mastery teacher floffi {rpm‘York County Board of Education Music The EaSY Ch01ce. By MONA ROBERTSON Gloria In Excelsis Deo Canada‘s largest-selling rye whisky. WSeagrém’s FIVE STAR (Continued on Page 23)