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THORNHILL â€" “When you take a trip coast to coast," said Allan Lawley, “you can see that there are a lot of problems but they are w_ort_h solving”. Administrative headquarters for the organization is in Cowansville Quebec where there is a totally bilingual volunteer staff and the rent for office space is “almost nothing." But the idea for a grassroots organization to promote national pride was conceived in Toronto, said Lawley, from his Simonston Boulevard home, “right after Nov. 15 (the Quebec election. ) " Lawley, 42, .55 national chairmanuof Commitment Canada, which opened its Toronto office Monday of last week. He himself spent more than 10 years in Quebec and feels he knows the politics. What he was picking up from Quebec acquaintances seemed at odds with feelings around home and on the subway. Some people in Ontario were saying “let them go” and some businessmen were saying they still had to do business RICHMOND HILL â€" “Now I‘m taking nerve pills, wait until I get a cigarette." That’s the way Joan Kennedy of Richmond Hill, a taxi driver for Avenue Taxi, Yonge St., greeted a Liberal reporter when he called her to discuss Downtown renewal session blah Taxi girl vs. knife girl Established 1887 Richmond Hill Edition No. that‘s not a new kind of pipe young Jeff Fidler of Pleasant- ville public school is trying out. It is. in fact, just what it seems to be, a spoon with an egg in it. Joan Kennedy safe after struggle Spooning at Pleasantville This customer had wrong idea The French think of the English Canadian as a man with a big car smoking a cigar. he said, while we think of them as separatists. Commitment Canada, said Lawley, is set up to try to counteract the stereotyping by getting people from different parts of Canada together. “then we will realize we are a bunch of people working toward a common cause.“ RICHMOND HILL â€" The store was Great Ideas, 40 Levendale Rd. But the customer had the wrong idea, so far as the clerk was concerned. Police said a youth walked into the store about 2:50 p.m., Apr. 11 and told the attendant he was picking up a parcel for a “Mrs. Martin.” .L, L_-I- in Quebec and didn’t want to rock the boat her ordeal of last week. One of her female fares put a knife to her throat and demanded her money. Cindy Needham, 17, of Oak Ridges, was arrested in connection with the matter. It all began when Mrs. Kennedy, 52, who owns her own cab, picked up a young girl about 6:30 am. at the Oaks Motel in Oak Ridges. The girl said she was going to work and told her to drive her to an industrial area south of Steeles Avenue, just west of Dufferin, Mrs. Kennedy said. She was then directed to turn down one of the streets and head for a certain address. “I didn’t think anything of it,” Mrs. Kennedy said. “I would have been prepared if it had been a man." 7 What Mrs. Kennedy wasn’t prepared for was the action of her passenger when they reached the address. The girl reached over the seat, grabbed her by the neck, put a knife to her throat and demanded her money, she said. Her passenger, however, allegedly told her she was serious and asked for her purse. “ ‘You have to be out of your mind,‘ I told her. I was shocked.” Some of the students, including Jeff, were seeing how long they could keep spoon and egg steady at the end of their noses like that. Jeff was the winner. Whi'lévihé clerk was in the back “Ivfelt I could take her," Mrs. Ken- @112 mineral “In Essent/a/s Unity, in Non~Essent/1a/s Liberrv. in all rhinos Char/w” Wednesday, April 13, 1977 "/n Essentia/s Unity, in Non~Essentials Liberty, in all things Charity” This is a country built community by community, he said. Thornhill would not be here if Toronto was not here first. But there is a potential for hatred, as in the United States cities where the streets are not safe, said Lawley. The group is not just concerned with Quebec. In one project here in Toronto it helps Pakistani families invite other residents into their homes for a meal. The new group might also help finance a trip for bowling league members to play in another part of the looking for the parcel, she told police she heard the cash register bell ring. When she came ouf, she saw the youth fleeing out the door with a hand- ful of bills, said to total $23. The youth is described as 16, five feet, four inches, wearing white painter pants with three STP stickers on the back Mrs. Kennedy said the passenger also jumped out of the car and threw her coat on a lawn. However, she “left everything else in the car, including her shoes.” nedy recalls, “but I had a knife next to my throat. If I hadn’t had, they would haverfound pieces of her skull around.” “Then I Ehought, ‘here goes; there goes my new car’." With the car still in drive, Mrs. Kennedy said she slammed on the brakes, hurled her purse at her assailant, and jumped out. Both Mrs. Kennedy and the car then hit a wall at different stages. A man then helped her up and the police were called. Judging from the chips on the shell, however, it looks as if a few others must have dropped it before him. Mrs. Kennedy was taken to the hospital, but was back at work Monday, “still depressed,” although feeling a little better later in the week. “I never thought that would happen after seven years” (of driving) she said. A girl was walking toward a building in the area when she was picked up by police shortly afterwards. There was a slight pause and then Mrs. Kennedy replied: “I had a drunk swear at me once." Had she ever run into any trouble before? 32 pages . Favor Metro grab At the moment, if you need $10,000 to study the arctic fauna, you can probably get it from the Canada Council. But if you need $50, there is no one to help you," said Lawley. country, or provide $50 for a group of children wanting national? costumes. It is already established in Van- couver, Montreal. St. John’s Nfld. and Saskatoon. All the groups have directors who do not hold official government positions, except in Saskatchewan, because that‘s not the way they do things there. “We were told to get things going in such a community you have to have so- and-so. So we wound up with the lieutenant-governor as provincial chairman, a couple of Liberal MPPs and Conservative MP5”, said Lawley. The organization is to be an umbrella for grassroots nationalist projects, “a United Appeal of the save-Canada genre,” one spokesman called it. Another project is to take 2,000 youngsters to Ottawa by train for July 1 celebrations. RICHMOND HILL â€" Richmond Hill businessmen seem none too anxious to consider methods of revitalizing the downtown core. Only five of about 40 attended last week’s meeting of the Citizens’ Advisory Group. Encampment is on Sunday “When it comes to urban renewal," said speaker Harry Billington, “everyone has a finger in the pie, and everyone wants something for nothing." Mr. Billington, with the city of Toronto development department, told listeners survival of a town’s main street is vital because “without main street, you don’t live anywhere.” ,.'l‘HORNHILL ‘â€" If the Robarts commission adopted the view of the majority of briefs dealing with the subject, it would recommend Thornhil] become part of Metropolitan Toronto. Among those favoring the expansion of Metro boundaries were: â€" Mayor David Crombie and Alderman Arthur Eggleton of Toronto. â€" Frederick G. Gardiner, the first chairman of Metropolitan Toronto. â€" Karl Malette, TTC commissioner. â€" Hans Blumenfeld, described by a Robarts commission official as Canada’s most distinguished planner. The commission studying Metro received 227 briefs, with about 10 mentioning external boundaries. Crombie and Eggleton favored ex- tending the Metro boundary to the Parkway Belt. Gardiner suggested it could “easily be extended to the Oak Ridges moraine”. Planning beyond the present boun- daries of Metro will present a major problem for the commission. A number of briefs touched on the need to co-ordinate planning between Metro and surrounding York, Durham and Peel. Professor Larry Bourne of the University of Toronto wrote: “The Municipality of Metro Toronto . . . will look, on ground at least, much like the City of Toronto in 1953 â€" surrounded by suburbs which depend on it for services, leadership, even images, but over which it has little or no influence and with which it is in frequent competition.” He went on {0 predict by the late 19805 40 per cent of “Torontonians” would live outside Metropolitan Toronto." Donald Kitchen, an Ajax councillor, favored Ajax and Pickering becoming a new Metro borough He felt Markham, Vaughan, Mississauga and Richmond Hill should all become part of the Metropolitan system. Briefs opposing the boundary change were far more specific than those in favor. These were presented by Markham, King, York Region and the region public school board, plus two private citizens who felt the extension of Metro would result in it dominating the area politically. Girls of Richmond Hill will hold their Encampment Sunday at 7 pm. in the Richmond Hill Baptist Church. Inga Fjuk will speak. For more information, call Mrs. Loverock at 884-2389. Blumenfeld said the boundaries should be extended to include most of the old Metropolitan Toronto planning area. (It was the old Metro planning board which had some power over planning Thornhill.) The Markham Brief presented eight reasons why the boundaries for the town should be changed. “Any annexation of lands from Markham to Metro south of the Park- way Belt would virtually wipe out the industrial base of the town,” Markham officials wrote Billing suggested the, best way to RICHMOND HILL â€" The Pioneer Price 20 cents By Larry Johnston Allen Lawley holds up the symbol for Commitment Canada, a new “umbrella” organization formed to promote national unity. Lawley, a “If it's approved. . .well, the record of the Ontario municipal board has been excellent." Once a business area has been designated as an urban renewal project under Section 361, every business is Section 361 involves the polling of a town’s business community. If more than one-third objects, and if their assessment exceeds that of the remaining two-thirds, “the issue is dead as a dodo for two years,” said Billington. effect necessary revitalization of the core would be through implementation of Section 361 of the Planning Act . . . “a section written by businessmen for businessmen’ ’. The vice-presidential positions were not touched, but area directors were nominated from the floor in opposition to the slate prepared by a nominating committee: Bob Sherwood of Thornhill had already had himself nominated from the floor and defeated Walter Donkin for the presidency. Nearly 200 people attended the meeting, about 120 of them attracted by John Gamble, a Markham lawyer who is expected to contest the nomination. A new group took advantage of changes in the York North boundaries to elect a new slate of directors at the organizational meeting for the new riding two weeks ago. The York County board of education was equally emphatic about the need to their executive positions. The new executive wasted no time in Gone are some who supported meeting. Last Wednesday. it set June 14 Stephen Roman in his two unsuccessful as the {late for a nomination Qon‘ bids to unseat Barney Damon, the vention, Just three days after 'the first Liberal incumbent in the present York POS‘SIble date}? we" a ertmg- North seat 'lhe new r1d1ng boundaries do not A, take effect until June ll. A "A . . . n _ A . . n LAAI. "Annâ€"4...", Markham also opposed the loss of local planning control, and was con cemed about the loss of community identity in 'l‘hornhill. THORNHILL â€" A new broom has swept through the federal York North Progressive Conservative Association, knocking several old retainers out of their executive positions. New broom hits PCs RICHMOND HILL â€" Rich- mond Hill fire department had a busy time of it over the Easter weekend with 16 calls. However, the majority were for grass fires. Chief Robert Kennedy said the fires are mostly started by children, plus adults wanting to burn some of the grass off their land, only to end up with a fire in danger of spreading. Chief Kennedy said permits for open burning would not be issued until June 1, when the grass isn’t so dry. Oak Ridges Lions Juveniles lead Lambeth three games to one in Double C championship play. (See sports page 8-1) Oak Ridges Juveniles lead Don Head secondary school holds its gala annual open house tomorrow night. (See pictures and story Page C-l) The index of news and advertising features is: Grass fires Sports Classified Oak Ridges Viewpoint Entertainment He's committed 31-5 88-10 C4 Service directory Church directory In the Hill Scheduled events Real Estate 86-8 “The exercise is perfectly equitable right across the board. Everyone is part of the same publicity.“ “Revitalization and beautification could cost you less than the cost of coffee this month,” he said. “A business assessment of $60,000,” said Billington, “Would mean a levy of $9,000, while an assessment of $451 might mean a levy of $8.21." “It gives a community the op- portunity to recall the time before ‘they‘ came; the big boys who locate at either end of town.” liable for its share; a figure worked out so that the richer companies pay more, and the poorer companies pay less. N When the region of York was first announced in 1971, provincial treasurer Darcy McKeough said “at some time in the future after the incorporation of a regional government in York, lands south of the parkway corridor will be brought under the full municipal jurisdiction of Metropolitan Toronto. Residents of Thornhill made a symbolic march down Bayview Avenue with muskets 1837 style, and set off a cannon at Steeles Avenue to make McKeough change his mind. Premiere William Davis in a letter to Mayor Garnet Williams of Vaughan promised the boundary would remain at Steeles Avenue. Under McKeough‘s successor John White, the province placed more em- phasis on decentralization and set up the regions of Peel, Halton, Durham and Hémilton-Wentworth Thursday, Dusty Miklas, a well known local conservative of several years standing, declared that he was seeking the nomination. Gamble noted that all nominations had to come from the floor, whether previously recommended by the old executive or not. Party headquarters felt that the presentation of a slate from on high would look bad. “It ’was quite exciting, democratic,” he said. “It’s the start of a new era.” He is hoping for support from four out of five Vaughan directors and four out of five Richmond Hill directors. As for the Markham Ratepayers, he said he only met their president once before the meeting. Among those who were beaten were Markham lawyer Donald Hindson and Councillor Walter Grieve, a longtime Tory organizer. Cutting back York Region to the parkway belt would render the board “disfunctional,” the board told the commission. Over 60 per cent of the school capacity under the board’s jurisdiction could be lost. keep regional boundaries at Steeles Avenue. ~ Thornhill resident. is national chairman for the organization with offices across the country and administrative headquarters in Quebec. Yesterdays A4 Editorials A4 Letters A4 Vital statistics Blo A&P Stores Ap.l-2