Harry Stemp was born in Uxbridge in 1934. He started his career with the Uxbridge Times-Journal as an apprentice typesetter at age 14. He soon began writing sports for the Times-Journal and eventually owned 10 community newspapers in central Ontario including the Times-Journal. He started writing his award-winning Stemp’s Stew in 1965. The column came to an end shortly after he sold his newspaper chain in 1989, but was rejuvenated in 2006 when Harry became a regular contributor to The Cosmos.
The homeowner's view
Don't want to wade into the Mayor, Councillor Mantle, Roger Varley episode. In my view they were all doing their job as politicians and a journalist. So be it.
However, I would like to comment on the fact that people will buy houses, paying extra for a nice view, and down deep believing that, in this day of change and development, things would always be the same.
But this is what happened with homes bordering on Foxbridge Golf Club, and the present fight took me back many years when I owned the Lake Simcoe Advocate in Sutton. The Stricker family, who owned a beautiful seniors development in Florida, Maple Leaf Estates, wanted to duplicate the project on lands in the Town of Georgina, just south of Lake Simcoe.
It was a dream project for the community and Council came on board and started working with the developers. The community was in favour with one exception. The cottage owners in Eastbourne, located on the shores of Lake Simcoe just north of the project, were not in favour and immediately filed objections to the project. Since the majority of owners in Eastbourne were the financial elite of Toronto, they had a lot of clout. High priced lawyers and advisers attended council meetings voicing objection to the project even though it was well over a mile from their Eastbourne cottages.
Discussions and council meetings became very heated and finally the Strickers invited members of Council, a couple of residents including one from Eastbourne and myself to a week living in their Florida complex. Giving us a chance to see the quality of the community and to meet and mingle with the residents and get their impressions of being owners and living in Maple Leaf Estates.
We also had a morning meeting with members of the local council. Everything was very positive and even the representative from the Eastbourne community was impressed and was hard-pressed to find a fault with the project or the developers. The people we talked to were so excited that there would be an Ontario edition as they would sell their homes and live the summer in Georgina Township and the winter in Florida.
Returning to Sutton, members of council were convinced this was good for the community and proceeded to work with the developers. Most residents of Eastbourne had a change of mind and withdrew their objections but a few held on and kept filing strong objections - which seemed to be landing on deaf ears.
Taking a strong editorial stand in favour, I got a call from a very influential Eastbourne owner asking if I would visit him at his cottage. It was a lovely sunny day and I was impressed with the opulence of his summer home. We sat on a deck at the rear of his cottage overlooking the private, well-manicured, 9-hole golf course which was part of the complex.
He set a couple of cold ones on the table and then opened the discussion of the proposed development. After a few heated exchanges he asked me to stand up and look to the south. “Look down there, Harry. We can see the top of the CN Tower from here.” Wow, he was right. It was a tremendous view.
“This development will spoil that for a number of us in this area, as we will lose that view,” he said. “Now, how do you feel about the development?”
I took a sip on the cold one as I could not believe he thought for a minute that he could buy land on the south shore of Lake Simcoe and control this view.
“I feel bad about that,” I said, “and I can see this view is extremely important to you, so I have an idea. I suggest that, with the moneyed people in Eastbourne, you organize them and collect enough money to buy a strip of land between here and the CN Tower and you would always have this lovely view.”
His jaw dropped and I could see the anger in his eyes.
“How ridiculous of you to make that suggestion. I can't believe you said that,” he snorted.
“No more ridiculous than your selfish reason for being opposed to a project that would be of huge benefit to the Town of Georgina,” I replied. Discussion ended immediately and he coldly ushered me out the door without even a goodbye. My only regret? I didn't get a chance to finish the cold one.
So here's my advice to the homeowners bordering on the golf course. If the view is so important, then sell your present home and buy a new one in the adjoining development overlooking the golf course.
Sound ridiculous? Not really. Regardless of what you pay you can't control neighbouring lands you don't own. If that were the case maybe Uxbridge would still be the quaint town of a couple of thousand people rather than the huge growth we have seen over the past years. -------------------------
Channel surfing here in Florida I perked up when I heard - “Next, Michigan Political Report with Bill Ballinger”.
What? Our good buddy Bill gets around and one never knows what he will tackle next, but a political commentator on U.S. TV? Could be.
Clicked on the channel and was disappointed that the commentator spelled his name Ballenger (with an 'e') and not Ballinger (with an 'i'). But for a moment I thought I was in for some lively commentary on the comical political situation that is saturating the airwaves across the U.S. these days.
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With the good weather arriving it's time to think about getting the golf clubs out and no better way to get started than to sign up for the 5th Annual Uxbridge Cottage Hospital Foundation Golf Tournament.
This popular event has raised big bucks in support of our hospital, and will take place Friday, April 27 at Wooden Sticks Golf Course. You can get all the details from Jo-Anne Gray at 905-852-9771 - ext 5286 (or the ad on page 9). Make sure you don't miss the March 30th early bird deadline.
A great chance to have a wonderful 'swinging' day and support the hospital at the same time - a win/win for everyone.
