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Province vows to end GTA pooling Continued from pg. 1 He added, however, he understands why the Province has spread the elimination of the program over six years because it would be difficult to come up with that money all at once. "At least there's light at the end of the tunnel," said Somerville. Carr noted that through the recently launched Fairness for Halton campaign, regional council has strongly urged the Province to make funding models fair for communities. "I am pleased that we are one step further to ensuring fairness for Halton," Carr said. "It is important now to get the funding commitments we need to ensure that growth pays for itself and that the cost of growth is not on the backs of our current residents." The Ontario government originally established GTA pooling in 1998 as a temporary stop-gap measure to offset costs for the City of Toronto in providing social assistance and social housing to its residents. Halton's pooling costs have steadily risen since 2003, going from about $34 million then to the current estimated $41 million. In fact, since pooling started the Region has contributed $325 million to Toronto. "It simply is not fair that our taxpayers should be paying for Toronto's social assistance and social housing costs," Carr said, noting that when he was an MPP he voted against the notion of GTA pooling. Halton has long been pushing for an end to pooling, with its most recent effort in protest to the system being a motion passed by regional council to freeze its 2007 pooling payment at the 2006 level. --With files from Lisa Tallyn, staff writer Police blotter More swastikas drawn on school's walls For the second time in two weeks, swastikas have been drawn on the walls of a washroom at Georgetown District High School. Halton Police say black magic marker was used to draw the swastikas in a boy's washroom at the school sometime Tuesday or Wednesday. The previous incident occurred sometime a week earlier in a second floor washroom. Magic marker was used to draw swastikas and racial slurs in that washroom. Police consider the matter a hate crime. Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call police at 905878-5511 ext. 2105. ··· A Georgetown youth is facing a drug trafficking charge after police found approximately 77 grams of marijuana on the occupant of a vehicle pulled over during a traffic stop at Main St. W. and Moore Park Cr. last Thursday. Charged with possession of a narcotic for the purpose of trafficking and failing to comply with a condition is a 17-year-old Georgetown male who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. ··· An Acton woman has been charged in connection with the theft of cardiac drugs from a cart at Georgetown Hospital on March 7. Police say a woman in the hospital's emergency department was seen taking drugs off the cart, then leaving the hospital. As a result of a police investigation the woman was identified and she went to the police station Sunday where she was arrested. Charged with theft under $5,000 is Alexandra Linnard, 37, of Birchway Place. ··· A Brampton man was charged with impaired driving and having over 80 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood after a single-car accident on Five Sideroad east of Fifth Line at 10 p.m. Tuesday. Charged is Adam William Culley, 28, of Elmvale Cr.