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www.oakvillebeaver.com Beaver THE OAKVILLE A member of Metroland Media Group Ltd. Vol. 47 No. 122 CELEBRATING 25 YEARS! Between Kerr & Dorval 175 Wyecroft Rd. Oakville 905.845.6653 www.lockwoodchrysler.com YOUR FRIEND IN THE BUSINESS Cross Country results SPORTS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2008 0 % FINANCING HELD OVER www.oakvillemazda.com 48 Pages $1.00 (plus GST) "USING COMMUNICATION TO BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES" Smitherman to Region: It's your fault By Melanie Hennessey METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP A provincial minister is pointing the finger of blame at the Region for the infrastructure woes facing Halton. Inside Artscene.......................................27 Sports .........................................37 Real Estate .................................40 Classified ...................................43 Full Delivery: Food Basics, Superstore, Longo's, Home Outfitters, Canadian Tire, Wal-Mart, Shoppers Drug Mart, Superstore, Longo's, Home Outfitters, Sears Partial Delivery: Dominion, Pharmassist, Linens-N-Things, Creepers, Price Chopper, Ho-Lee-Chow, Home Hardware, Regency Fireplaces, Sobeys, Pharma Plus, Fortino's, Zellers, Goemans, Bouclair, Michael's, The Source, The Brick, Staples Business Depot, Best Buy, Pier 1 Imports, The Barn Fruit Market, Toys R Us, Future Shop www.carstaroakville.com 547 Trafalgar Rd. 905-845-7579 2212 Wyecroft Rd. 905-847-2595 · Full Mechanical Repairs · Emissions Testing & Repairs (Only at Wyecroft location) The sentiment was expressed by newly-appointed Minister of Energy and Infrastructure George Smitherman in a letter he recently sent to Regional Chair Gary Carr. The correspondence came in response to a letter Carr sent the minister detailing the Region's Fairness for Halton campaign, which says the region can't accommodate the thousands of residents called for in the Province's Places to Grow plan without some hefty funding help for infrastructure. The campaign lets those at Queen's Park know about the local funding shortfalls that need to be fixed -- such as a municipal infrastructure deficit of $300 million -- in order to meet the growth targets specified in Places to Grow. The plan says Halton's population is supposed to increase by more than 300,000 to 780,000 by 2031. More than $2.5 billion will be needed for infrastructure to accommodate growth to 2021, while more than $8.6 billion will be required to serve the population increase to 2031, Carr informed the minister. But, Smitherman said the Province and its Places to Grow plan aren't the cause of the problem. "The servicing costs you indicate LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER TRAINING DAY: Oakville firefighter recruits in training combat a flame created by a fire simulator at the Petro Canada distribution facility on Rebecca Street. Learning under fire By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF * See Carr page 4 It took only one spark and the new firefighters suddenly found themselves facing an inferno. With a combination of diesel and gasoline spraying everywhere huge balls of orange flame exploded 20 feet into the air throwing up thick plumes of black smoke. Undeterred, the firefighters manned their hoses and dosed the flame, pushing it back until it shrank and finally went out. Following their training, the firefighters continued to hose down the metal piping, where the fire had originated, so that the fire could not suddenly re-ignite from the intense heat of the metal. Last week's experience provided some essential training for the 24 recruits from the Oakville Fire Department and its one that they had the opportunity to redo over and over again. The heated training day was courtesy of a fire simulator, located at the Petro Canada distribution facility on Rebecca Street, which shows firefighters what they would face if a fire took place as the result of a fuel spill or a ruptured pipe. "All last month we brought all Oakville firefighters in here, we gave them all refresher training on See Petroleum page 14 FALL AND WINTER BLITZ Fall & Winter Lawn Fertilizer Your best defence against weeds next year. 157070, 157071, 148794, 275224 Sale ends Fri. Oct. 17/2008 Firewood .75 cubic ft. 52672 While Quantities Last! $ from 14 99 $ 49 6 SAVE $40.00 RONA Leaf Blower Vac Mulcher 281802 $ Just 99 00 399 Speers Road, Oakville (Speers Road and Dorval Drive) 905.844.8010