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SELLING YOUR JEWELLERY? LONDON GOLD Fine Jewellery Co. Ltd. 905.337.0051 SNA NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR 2010 ONTARIO'S TOP NEWSPAPER - 2005-2008 Paying respects Sports 1011 Upper Middle Road E. 905-849-4722 www.oakvilleshops.com A member of Metroland Media Group Ltd. Vol. 49 No. 124 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2011 68 Pages $1.00 (plus tax) "USING COMMUNICATION TO BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES" W Transit ridership on the rise By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Ridership on Oakville Transit is on the rise and shows no signs of slowing down. In an address to Town council Monday, Oakville Transit Director Barry Cole said September 2011 saw 272,000 rides on Oakville Transit, breaking its previous record of 263,000 (set in Nov. 2010) for rides in a single month. This topped off a stellar 12-month period for Oakville Transit, which has seen 2.8 million rides provided from October 2010 to September 2011. Cole chalked up the increase to a continued upward trend, which has been underway since council unanimously voted to implement the new transit grid system design in September 2009. "Prior to that, the transit ridership in the town was relatively flat with the exception of a bit of an upturn towards the end of 2008 and into the beginning of 2009. However, this was followed by six consecutive months of f downturn," said Cole. "That was halted immediately upon implementation of the new service design and we haven't looked back since. There is no end in sight actually for this increase in ridership as September 2011 just saw a record one month ridership." Looking at the figures a different See New page 3 Soup's on Province investigating dead salmon in Bronte By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources is investigating what could be the wasteful killing of salmon in Bronte Creek for the purpose of harvesting their roe. Last week, the creek, just north of Rebecca bridge, was lined with dead salmon. Salmon naturally die after spawning up the river, but a number of local fishermen say it is too early for this number of dead salmon. "We've received numerous tips to our tips line," confirmed Jolanta Kowalski, a ministry spokesperson. Kowalski said the ministry is currently investigating whether the fish have been killed and slit open to extract their eggs, which is a natural resource violation. She said this practice of catching salmon to extract the roe for the purpose of using it as bait is very common. Angler Tom Oliver, of Hamilton, visited the area recently hoping to do some fly-fishing, but was angered at the sight of countless dead fish. "These salmon were beyond counting. They were just caught and slit from gill to tail and the roe is used for bait," he said. He added eyes were also removed from fish. "It's just terrible. That fish doesn't get a chance to go up and spawn," he said. "There are literally thousands of them that die, but the fact is, when you catch them before they get a chance to spawn and take the roe, then your cutting down the population of this salmon that was imported into this part of Canada from B.C." Oliver is calling on the Town to do something and hopes the culprits are charged. If convicted, fines start at $200 and increase, depending on a number of variables, such as whether fishing was done in closed season, without a licence, snagging, in a sanctuary and more. People who witness natural resource violations can call the ministry tip line at 1-877-847-7667. CLAUDIO CUGLIARI / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER FILLING EMPTY BOWLS: Aleah Corbeth gets a good helping at St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School Sunday. While the final tally is not yet in, the fifth annual Souper Bowl, the annual Empty Bowls fundraiser in support pp of Home Suite Hope, p drew a crowd. For more photos, p see p page g 11. OAKVILLE'S REBATE EXPERTS! Maintenance Specials on Now! Excellent Financing and Great Terms. Don't get Hooked! If an offer seems to good to be true... it probably is! At A1, we believe in straight forward pricing with no strings attached and our no-hassle installation and quality service always makes the bottom line look better. So before you bite - give us a call. We'll get you off the hook! Relax and Let our Licenced Staff Look After All the Government Paper Work, So You Don't Have To! 905-844-2949 inancing at Terms.