1 By Mark Reesor'1 Whitby'g first fully accessible taxi is on'the road. Owned and 'operated, 4y Bell and- Bowman Taxi Service the speciallybuilt, fstretched,Clirys- 14 arV5 1er mimivan is available 24 hours3 a .daýy, seven days a week, at re uar fares. It can carry people in hel- chairs .or with limited mobiliY, i. avoulable for people with largi'~: parl or buggies or for aeli- vyeries,, and can double as'a'non-- èmergency ambulance for patient trans fers., Every- driver operatin the vehicle is trained o hwto secure and'look after, passen!ger and, also receives 'sensitivity traiig to look after their spe- Bell and ,Bowman owner Chris Pelgrims says the service coet< abu &3,0 to estabhseh wth the province paying $10,UOO of that cost. Pelgrims says he foudout about the Ontario governmenV's açcssb a.4 progam-.two îyears ago rom To.wwp. cerk'IDon MCKay, and "kniew it ýwàs èore- thn Iwanted to bring to He says, a regular customer of his, Dbje Head, has a son ia. wheelchair. «Many timies- when she would cail -for -a. taxi, I would simply pick up her porcels and go ceries;.. and take them to ler home. "She would walk home with lier son, because accessible tais RYNTM (cnr) hesonhs SmeFetv were not available.7RA YS(ete heY-o i'à Sme etv Pelgrims has already applied favourite, at the goldfish races, onle of the page 17. i principle tputw moe anevents at Saturday's Falrview Lodgeý Phc vehicles on the road... hopefuil the demand will be such itAr'i need to increaseà the niumber of vehicles on the road, because I £ feel that one vehicle Wil not be enou9f hi ef: Hu ge in Dave Hanes of the istyq Transportation says, 14 per cer4t of the population is "disabled iýi some way, shape or form,» andir about, 10 per cent will benefit AiEAv o l n ýc And with, the 'other services the new vehicle canprvde, "You, By Mark Reesor can be assured tht= having The overali crime rate in Dur- accessible tais iii your comn-. hamn Regiorn may be declining, munity, everyoÎne benefita, at ail but the rate of výiolent crime is levels. increasing by, "leaps and WVhitbyis the fourth mîmicipa bounds.w lity inDýurhani Be on-,alter 'That according te Durhamn Ajax, Pickenng and Oshawa - ReinPlce Chief Trevor and the 38th mn Ontario te get- Mcagherty, who says "if you accessible tai service. think thiat crimes of violence, 'George, Dadaino, Parliamen- robberies and murder and may- tory Assistant te the Minister of hem are limited te our neigh- Transportaà tion, says unless «you bours tethe west then you're not, know sonmeone who has a, disabi- ,as well informed as You should lity vyou jut don't understand be -"ifs right here m Durhamn how ,difficuit it is» te get around. Region. «An accessible tai service McCagherty says robberies aiow ctien wthdisabilities account for alarge part of the teow cos e wtheywat e creà se im violence. travel... (offering) them greater t"is éîrthe .Ithe moto freedom and ifidependence" ti erw aIthnams Fairview Lodgeadministrater arbeya a..tesearnt Sharon Swainsays many seniors tehm htsbe ugaie have trubepgtting around..ý. or. the latch key theft,- these are "'1his is gong tobe a boost for stick.emn-ups, these are knife- those seniors -that. want to qet point, gnnpointrobberies.» out and do shopping and, bye H aspolice are so concer- normal lives... I tlunk it certainy ned they've formed two robbery lis gng be very benefIciaj2" aquada'te, help deai with the There areM anproximatelv 4,400 problem. senor i Witb, ccraoto Spealin> to.Ro Cl <ub of- POLICE CHIEF centre ward councillor John ~Whty~nrs,~Cagherty TEO cCGET A-r-ii RVRACAHRY creas Le rate, more, .private police' tWprtc themiselves and theirprpe. Rie 'a's riat oiecr rently. outnumber "p«ublicly fun. ded pýolice by a ratio of about 2E te 1 'mOntario. "You would think... that woulèc reduce the demand on y Our pub Iicly-f4unded police, but in fipt t doesn't work _that way.» McCagherty says that, ever where there are, private securitj leop he the pblcis moreiim. clne te cai."eir police" wher an icdetoccurs. - n rv agencies aiso call them ý ir because they have "the authoriti Lo deal with the i ssue.» ýý He sthat d.rives up thé demand oïr servics. U 1To cape, McCagherty sa', police, are -workring ta ýmake th system .more efficient and res, ponsive te the community. <'We -have te be in teuch witl- our c munity and reflect thé style of policing that our com rnunîty 'wants.» The commnunity also has bÀ become involved, he says. «It'ii' ail of our responsibulitie te worl ogther te improve our coni New tXI isfully ... * P ~*~t 4q ~.t