Vol. 10 No. 12
YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER COVERING NORTH DURHAM
THURSDAY, MARCH 20,, 2014
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‘Communal dwelling’ debate ends with relief BENJAMIN PRIEBE The Standard
SCUGOG: In response to the strong and repeated deputations of John Lucyk, Martha Casson, Valerie Cranmer, and many other concerned Scugog residents, councillors decided to remove the definition of ‘communal dwelling’ from its new zoning by-law, at the third council meeting on March 17. The issue of communal dwellings, raised by the recent push for affordable housing by seniors who wish to have shared-ownership of a home, saw a long and arduous debate since December of last year. The concept, which was raised by Scugog Township’s own Seniors Advisory Committee, was originally embraced by the council at-large, but ran into many bureaucratic roadblocks. “This process has been upsetting to all involved, but like any new venture, we needed to carefully examine and debate every aspect – right down to the wording on the pages,” said Scugog Township Mayor Chuck Mercier. “I understand now why we only revamp our zoning by-laws every thirty years or so, but I would like to congratulate Mr. Don Gordon [Scugog Township Director of Community Services] and the citizens who made deputations, on the work they have done.” Ms. Martha Casson, one of the spear-head supporters of the new housing concept, said “I am pleased that there has been a realization of the right for people to live in whatever ownership configuration they wish, this is a major step forward in ensuring that the Municipality does not discourage seniors from continuing to manage their options as they evolve.” Despite council’s revision of the zoning bylaw, several problems still remained to be addressed, including the Township’s wish to avoid the possibility of student dormitories or rooming houses being erected in the future.
PREDATORS IN OMHA FINALS: Port Perry Bantam Predators goalie Matt Tamlin makes a pad save during the Predators’ 5-4 overtime loss to Amherstburg in Game 2 of the OMHA Finals at Scugog Arena on Monday, March 17. The Bantam Port Perry Predators trail the Amherstburg Stars two-games-to-none following a pair of overtime losses at Scugog Arena over the weekend. The Predators hit the road this weekend to tangle with the Stars in Amherstburg, for a full recap, see page 15 of this week’s Standard. DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard
One dead following Goodwood fire DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard
UXBRIDGE: One Goodwood resident is dead following a fire on the evening of Sunday, March 16. According to Uxbridge Fire Prevention Officer Capt. Ken Maynard, Uxbridge Fire crews were called to a fire at 3180 Conc. 3, between Regional Rd. 21 and Secord Rd. at around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday night.
“Since it’s in the mutual aid agreement area, Stouffville’s fire department was already on the scene of the fully involved house fire when we arrived,” Capt. Maynard told The Standard. According to Capt. Maynard, although it wasn’t known when fire crews arrived on the scene due to the size of the fire, it was later discovered that a single occupant was in the home at the time of blaze, who died
as a result of the fire. At around midnight, investigators from the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office arrived on the scene to begin their investigation into the fatal fire. No cause for the fire has been determined, and investigators from the Fire Marshal’s office remained on the scene throughout the day on Monday, returning to the scene on Tuesday to they continue their investigation.
T U R N TO PAG E 4
Thursday March 20th
Open mic with Bodan
saturday march 22nd
Johnny Cox CD release PARTY
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