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economist suntribune transportation saturday feb 16 2002 7 transit plan needs fund money from page 1 is an essential element without the gtip funding it isnt going to happen mr fisch said- five initial candidates who expressed interest in the pub licprivate partnership have passed the first level of scrutiny and will be asked to submit more detailed proposals regional works commissioner kees schipper said during a meeting of the steering committee last week the primary criteria were that candidates there are five con sortia led by corporate heavy weights such as bombardier hydro one and the royal bank of canada demonstrated the knowhow to build and operate a sophisticated rapid transit sys tem arid the financial where withal to make it happen mr schipper said all five consortia met all of the technical and financial crite ria he said the members of the consortia are all excellent and the documents they submit ted were excellent as well members of the steering committee were scheduled to meet friday with representa tives of the various consortia to go over the proposed schedule the schedule reviewed last week calls for the issuing of requests for proposals next friday feb 22 with submis sions due march 29 it is hoped a private sector partner will be announced by april 30 this weeks discussions will determine whether or not that schedulers realistic mr fisch said and the approval of region al council is necessary before a request for proposals can be issued council meets next thursday the region has sent the province detailed applications for gtip funding the costs the region expects to encounter as it improves the yrt include buying more buses worth 245 million creation of dedicated bus lanes costing 900000 a transit priori ty trafficcontrol system costing 500000 and various other costs amounting to more than 31 million for shortterm goals the region wants to remove one million automobile trips from yorks roads and highways over the next two years in a separate submission the region pitches its publicprivate partnership which will create a sophisticated rapid transit sys tem in the hwy 7- corridor to service the burgeoning munici palities of vaughan richmond hill and markham and hook up with regional transit systems in peel and durham regions the plan calls for design and approvals tp be completed in late 2004 with construction beginning then and continuing on over the next several years the regions application states the municipality will con tribute to the cost of the project but partnerships with senior lev els of government will also be necessary markham mayor don cousens suggested neighbour ing municipalities be kept informed of the regions plans with a view to forming further partnerships in the future who knows they might share some of the costs when they see the potential benefit to their communities he said at some point if they want to put some money on the table they could become voting mem bers of the steering commit tee he said in the meantime the region will spend another quarter-6f-a- million dollars on consultants as the partnership plan moves along kpmg consulting origi nally retained on a 100000 con tract will- be paid another 250000 to stay on the job and help guide york region recognizing the substantial increase mr schipper said the intense timetable for formation of the partnership has necessi tated the expense obviously things have accel erated dramatically in the last lit tle while and we have had to retain kpmg to be more than a process advisor he said stoarffi tt- f jg u rs s a o o ci m c o c t tuesday iip reading writing spelling french math study skills little readers ask us about our summer gamp success is addictive good grades create confidence and the motivation to keep reaching for the best oxford learning centres has individual programs for- organization study skills and homework support to give students the tools to succeed wwwoxfprdlearningcom highway 7 kennedy steeles brimley 9055138186 4163211646 oxford beyoiu tutor ty 8 3 markham stouffville hospital notice markham stouffville hospital is inviting applications to serve on the board of directors of the hospital the board is composed of community volunteers with a mix of skills and experience necessary to provide leadership to the hospital in meeting jts communitys health care needs board members provide gov ernance to the hospital corporation working closely with sen ior management and medical representatives the board is responsible for establishing policies and procedures monitor ing hospital performance and ensuring proper fiscal manage ment of resources for 200203 the board has a minimum of 4 vacancies to be filled the nominating committee is specifically seeking indi viduals with one or more of the following skills corporate andor strategic marketing experience in senior management and leadership roles in the public or private sectors real estate andor land development experience to be eligible an individual must be a resident or employed or carry on business in the catchment area of markham stouffville hospital candidates will be assessed and interviewed to ensure the board has the right combination of expertise and community representation to fulfill its mandate volunteers receive rio monetary compensation and should be prepared to devote 101 5 hours a month to j board activities all interested persons are invited to attend an information ses sion on thursday february 28 2002 at 730 pm in the hospi tal auditorium applications including a resume or letter outlining your experi ence should be sent by march 15th 2002 to nominating committee of the board of directors attention ms karin lewis markham stouffville hospital 381 church street po box 1800 markham ontario l3p7p3 fax 905 4727086 email klewismshorica s