The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

“You might as well say rent- geared-to-income housing is non- existent,” is a planning staff. analysis. 1 Richmond Hill. Markham and w ...\.u, ullu no knows, in the pro‘ SOME (‘LOSE York Central seven operating 1 these. five were Regional council com- missioned an outside report on housing last year which showed these figures. There are just ten rent-geared- to~income housing units run by the Ontario Housing Corporation 'n York Region for people under ‘ go 65. There are also about 100 rental assisted units. Unfortunately in York Region with vacancy rates running between one and two suites in 500 for the general population. housing for the needy is ex- tremely hard to come by Welfare recipients are left to their own devices to find ac- commodation “as best they can", says area supervisor Glen Davies. “It is surprising how many people use wood or space heaters to heat their homes But there is one thing no one ca_q_h_<_alp with, housing. They include doctors in two hospitals, a probation officer, the John Howard Society and a regional public health nurse who promised taxi fare. Evelyn Rivers and Arthur Smith have asked all kinds of people to help them and several individuals in various agencies have responded. The gas was cut off last sum- mer and the wood stove is the They sat huddled around the wood stove in their living room last Thursday, wondering how they are going to pay the $110 they still owe for last month‘s rent or the $170 due at the end of this month. By LARRY JOHNSTON Liberal news editor Arthur Smith and Evelyn Rivers thought they were near the end of the line. They’ve had help but need a home Gord Corry. operator of the impressive big grader. said. "you just don't look to the side â€" Someone might be standing there waving a shovel". It seems the answer might be to purchase a house on the right side of the street (whichever that is) because ploughs take off the heavy load in one direction and return on the same road removing the access. The drivers of all vehicles agreed cars parked on the side of the road were the biggest hazard. making their job both dif- ficult and incomplete. Ploughs and wings must be lifted. (depositing heaps of the cold wet stuff), the vehicle must go around. tsometimes squeezing oncoming traffic) each time a parked vehicle is encountered. A Metrospan Community Newspaper Wednésday, January 24‘ In a normal snowfall, said Mr. Rose. the 260 lane miles in Richmond Hill will be cleared in six hours â€" unless the roads need to be sanded and that will take another four hours. The concern of most residents is the anâ€" noying habit of ploughs which fill freshly shovelled driveways with heavy road snow. “People give us the devil for filling their driveways." said Mr. Rose. “but we‘ve got to put the snow somewhere, and we'd never get finished if we stopped each time." If the snowfall arrives after normal business hours. Mr. Rose leaves word with the man on night duty to call the superin- tendent who checks the roads and if snow is sufficient. calls the foreman and gets the men on the job. Two mechanics and one supervisor are on call at all times to keep the equipment on the road in case of breglgcjown _during the storm. This three inches. equipment caused objects. Operators of the town‘s two graders, six truck ploughs and two sidewalk Bombadiers unanimously agreed last week that parked cars created the biggest problem and nuisance to their methods of snow removal. During the snow storm last Wednesday, Liberal staff writer Shaaron Hay was allowed to ride with town staff to see the other side of the problem that residents view from behind clogged driveways or slow blue “bleeping” lights. Roads Superintendent. Herb Rose. who has been with the town works department for 23 years. said there must be at least three inches of snow before the ploughs will venture out. What do garbage day, high winds and paLked cars all have in common? They all make hazards rfél‘fililéllfilond Hill‘s Works Department snow removal crew. Snow removal is an an‘, Liberal reporter finds "Maybe they expect lessens damage to the by hitting protruding The idea of such a tour came from a nursing magazine, which showed a similar tour in an American hospital. This is the first time such an open house concept of a hospital has been undertaken in this area, and as far as anyone knows, in the province. SOME CLOSED DOORS York Central Hospital has seven operating rooms, and of these. five were open to the By MILLIE STEWART Five hundred and fifty people visited York Central Hospital in Richmond Hill last Saturday . . . not to visit patients, but to view one of the most sacred inner sanctums of any hospital . . . the operating rooms. Vaughan have no plans for any rent-geared-to-income units although subdivisions are awaiting approval, according to regional estimates, to supply home buyers for the next eight More than 500 peOpIe tour Operating rooms Their last welfare cheque dated December 29 was for $164.90 for two weeks, including a fuel allowance of $15.40. Mrs. Rivers has called the welfare office and has taken from the conversation that there is no way she can get only source of heat. Everyone sits with their overcoats and boots on and the thermostat on the wall which starts at 60 degrees does not register. The only food in the house was supplied by a local church. The message from your friendly snow plough man seems to be if you are able to get your car off the road it will make for a better job of removing snow from your streets. These little vehicles can go in reverse, but young and able pedestrians should step to the Sight? rather than challenging the driver. The purpose of the sidewalk clearers is not to make the paths as clean as a June day but only to take off the heavy snow for the con- venience of walking residents. The overhang of cars parked in driveways creates a danger for these men because as they attempt to go around if they hit any obstacle. curbs. heaved sidewalks or large patches of ice. the vehicle can be thrown over or off to the side. Last year 1,790 truck loads of snow were removed from the streets of town. said Mr. Perkins, and deposited in an old gravel pit on the south side of Markham Road just west of the third line. Parked cars are also a problem for the operators of the two Bombadiers that clear the 30 miles of sidewalks in town. The snow is pushed to the side for as long as possible and then comes a time when road crews must remove it. “But. we‘re doing our bestrtnficint it back," said Mr. Perkins, expressing concern for vegetation on roadsides. Maintenance Manager for the town. Merv Perkins. said the town uses about seven per cent salt to each 100 pounds of sand â€" sometimes heavier in ice storms. lfall else fails. residents usually feel free to grumble about the amount of salt being spread liberally about â€" just waiting to eat fenders and leather boots. Fish and Tom Miller and 'méfiéiiéd'ét the synchronization and ability of these two men while moving snow from a local cul-de-sac. Manhole covers in Richvale sometimes get knocked off . and sometimes the odd driveway is marked but usually the job is handled wifthoyt mishap. The Liberal repovrter had the privilege of dyiving in one of _t_i_i_e truck ploughs with Eric By using the truck ploughs there is always the possibility of damaging the parked cars because although there are two men â€" one driving and one operating the ploughs â€" the driver does not always have clear visibility to see where the wing is, to make sure he clears the offending vehicle. If there are too many such obstructions the town requires the snow removal vehicles to return the following day t9 try again. BOMBADIERS Welfare cut off Many doctors were on hand to answer questions. They were: Drs. Alexander. Morissette, Arai, Karas. Bergman, Bate. Golab. Phillips, Leroux, Treisman, Little, ’I‘yl, Ng, Conrad, Bhat and All visitors were directed to the operating room area by hospital auxiliary members. Once there, they received a map of the area showing them where they could go and where they could not. All areas closed to the public were well marked and not one visitor got lost. in case they were rieédea, 5nd during the course of the tours. one was used for an actual operation. public. Two had to remain sterile .and protected from prying eyes There were 1,229 people on general assistance in York Region last November. the last month for which figures are available, compared with 1.054 years “We are pressuring them," says welfare supervisor Glen Davies. “Their case is still under investigation. If he lives up to certain obligations, he will get welfare.” more welfare. The York Region welfare department admits cutting off Smith and Rivers in an effort to get him to take a program for alcoholics as ordered by the courts. Smith did not know whether to A full operating room staff was on hand and with the help of volunteers and some part time nurses. everything went just fine. All visitors were asked to fill in a questionnaire about the tour, and of those who did, most said they would like to see the same tour repeated. This way the public is aware of what all the expensive equipment is use'd for and how everything is as modern as can be. York Central Hospital is a community hospital and 0. R. Head Nurse Ann Meijers feels that the public should be aware of what, it‘s like even behind the scenes. This display was the work of several .. . OR. Nurse Pam Brooker took the pictures; Kathy Dedrick from the library did the video-tape; and Dr. Alexander Golab did the narration. A video-tape display of an actual Caesarean section atâ€" tracted many of the visitors, although the more squeamish held back. ‘Microscopes were set up with slides for anyone who was in- terested in seeing this side of hospital work. The accident was listed as a fail to remain under the criminal code. No charges have been laid so far. The officer escaped with some bad bruises to his leg and he‘ll take a week off work to recuperate. As he approached the car. a Corvette, which was later learned to be stolen from Toronto. the driver tried to run him down. lncluded were displays of various sets of instruments and explanations about which kind of surgery they were used for; Visitors were welcome to examine the operating rooms and all the equipment that is used in them. When Provincial Police Constable S.A. Layton tried to give help to a driver on Highway 7 near Islington Avenue Sunday night, he got a little more than he bargained for. That is about 0.58 per cent of the region‘s population and does not include women on mother‘s allowance which is a provincial program. MacCon one year earlier Smith and Mrs. Rivers live right in the middle of Richmond Hill, right across the boulevard from the Cadillac-Baif development in an insul-bricked cottage, on the corner of Carr- ville and Avenue Roads, with plastic over the windows and a back door that does not close put his faith in that, or whether some other tragedy will hit him first, like not having the money for transportation to the hospital for treatment. a 1979 So much for being helpful See picture page 2 20 Cents Bayview Secondary School offers these five pretty girls as competitors in the annual Richmond Hill Winter Carnival Snow Queen contest. They include. top to bottom, Diane Eldridge, Year 4: Terry “Otherwise it would take up a lot of evenings for someone," he said. Mr. Young, who retired after working with the town’s parks and recreation department for ten and one-half years, said he felt he had time to number the buttons himself. When they arrived â€" théy were blank. The distinctive red, green and white Ookpik buttons purchased by the carnival committee were to have numbers printed on the back to be used for a lucky draw. Four thousand, seven hundred and forty-two, is the exact number of Richmond Hill Winter Carnival buttons numbered by hand by Wilt Young of Centre Street West. He says he can beat the alcohol problem. What he would really like at 39, is to learn to read and Smith had polio as a child and got through “maybe grade two or three“. He used to hold a steady job but his wife left him six years ago and he “went to pieces“. But there is no hot water and dirty clothes have been piling up because it is too cold to wash them. r ~o ----- a ~~~~~~ v- F“I’F“’°v a wellâ€"fed cat and half a dozen potted house plants. They still have a television set and a telephone and an assortment 'of other appliances, some working, some not and .a hundred or so salt and pepper shakers; Mrs. Rivers collects them. Smith and Mrs. Rivers like their place, except in this, the coldest part of the year. They are sharing the two heatable rooms with a dog that just had puppies, up. When Smith's car was working. he used to scrounge wood from construction sites but now it is difficult to see if there are even a few pieces left under the snow in the back yard. properly; The landlord, said Smith. is a good man. He let them saw down a tree on his property across the street for firewood. But that supply has run out. (See Page 08) Wi/z‘ numb ered carnival buttons 26 pages He said he felt very few realized the time, work and number of people involved each year to put on the winter car- nival. With Parks and Recreation he has helped prepare the ice and snow slides. set up the tent and barbeques, change the dates on signs around town and dozens of other little things that have to be done {or the big weekend. This job was only one of many Mr. Young has done for Rich- mond Hill‘s Winter Carnival over the 11 years since its inception. “miniature compressed air hammer about the size of a pen“ to c_o_mpl¢te his job. It took Mr. Young only one Week _of working on and off with a It‘s a community affair," said The unpaved section of Bathurst Street between Oak Ridges and Aurora is the worst road in York Region in the opinion of Richmond Hill Councillor Gord Rowe. It is unadvisable to travel more than 15 miles per hour on it. he said. “It must be keeping six garages in business." He wondered if the region was not bothering to maintain it because it is scheduled for paving. Engineering commissioner Bob Hodgson said this is not the case although he intends to have it paved in 1980. .. w- v-lv v- Paul Hunter 884-7589 for tickets. Saturday. February 10, will be the annual Sleigh Ride and Dance at Richmond Hill Golf Club. Call Kathye Hicks 884-7207 or J. Flett 884- 2746 for information and tickets. Tickets are now on sale for two big dances during Rich- mond Hill Winter Carnival weekend. A dinner and Dance for the Carnival Princesses will be held at Richvale Community Centre February 8. Call Ed Banks 884-6240 or Paul Hunter 884-7589 for tickets. Saturday, February 10, will be the annual Sleigh Ride and Dance at Richmond "an n . Anyone with a snowmachine interested in introducing children and youths to the fun of snowmobiling on Winter Carnival Weekend, February 8. 9, 10 or 11. should call Jim Barber at 884-6942 or 884-0951. Usually the always popular run goes around the north end of the pond and into the bush area and Mr. Barber would like more machines to spell his list of volunteer drivers. The Kinsmen Club of Richmond Hill will celebrate their 25th anniversary this year, and to mark the oc- casion. plans a dinner and dance on February 24. The event will be held at the Richvale Community Centre in Richmond Hill. All former members of the Club are invited to attend. For further information. contact Tom Hetherington at 884-2535 or George Woodhead at 884-4504. the Snowmobiles needed Hydro meeting today Kinsmen anniversary Ba thursz‘ is the pits Tickets on sale White. Year 3; Lorna Campbell, Year 1; Terry Davis, Year 5; and Kathy Snowdon. Year 2. Judging will take place Thursday, February 8. “Other than that' we‘ve had very good weather.” said Mr. Young‘ Another year, Friday and Saturday went just fine. but right after pancake breakfast â€" it rained the whole day. One year there was an ex- tremely cold and strong north wind. he remembered, that blew the tent down and spoiled some of the festivities for at least one night. The Centre Street resident. who recently spent eight days in the coronary unit of York Central Hospital, reminisced about the history of the carnival including the fact that only twice has the weather caused any trouble. Mr. Young. “and not an in- dividual effort."