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IMM'$ans Iependent Phfaracy * Frn Ddwey * 10% Senlors Discount *N AIu lans mAcepted * Wrlton Dnig Infofnatjan Aval "At Zak's We CarH About Your Health" 170 Main St. E. 875-2424 A Metroland Community Newspaper_ &flITP~J i~~n Ez' I îrtr~ £ I4iekend ' r" Vol. 139 No. 10 Friday, April13, 1998 40 Pages 750 (GST included) Clearer pi*cture not a pretty one By IRENE GENTLE Special to the Champion The shifting sands of provincial downloading just firmed up a little, but so far the price of stability is $2 million more than Halton Region expected. New figures released Tuesday at regional council hike the down- loading burden to $2 1.6 million for Halton, about $1 .9 million higher than previously estimated. Photo by GRAHAM PAINE Beautîfying the ]Beer Store Daffodils arrived Wednesday at The Beer Store, to be kept cool until this weekend when they'l be sold around town ln support of Cancer Month. Here Beer Store employee Jason Cannons shows off some of the spning flowers. Oddly enough a revised social assistance plan and newly assessed pooling costs had actually lowered the regional tab by $2.3 million. What should have been a boon for Halton tumrs to a bust when signiicantly lowered community re-investment transi- tional funds are calculated in. Those grants are down $6 million from December, 1997 figures. For the taxpayers that works out to a haîf per cent tax increase, contributing Io a total tax hit of 4.8 per cent more over last year. For the owner of a $185,000 home that means an extra $124 in property taxes for 1998. What's more, the guessing game contin- ues with final figures still to be released. Meanwhile the draft legislation that should grow up to be the Greater Toronto Services Board (GTSB) came under the microscope of regional counicil Tuesday. In its proposed form the 28-member GTSB would coordinate services in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and have financial control over GO Transit. The preserit draft legislation held several areas of concem for Halton including: -Representation - by the proposed for- mula Halton would have two seats on the board while Toronto would nab a whop- ping 14. Council suggested parity, rather than popular, representation instead. Halton's plan would give each municipali- ty five seats. -The landfill site on Highway 25- despite repeated verbal assurances that the dump will not be touched, the issue is skipped entirely in the latest draff. Halton wants dump protection written into the GTSB. There was also concemn about the pow- ers of the GTSB. While at presenit the board is merely a coordinating body, coun- cillors generally fear if bas the potential to evolve into another level of govemnment. "The concern is that the GTSB may "I1 havec 't heard anything 1 could take to the bank. 1 don't put much faith. in verbal assurances."9 COM KBANT have too much power to justfty its exis- tence," said Oakville Councillor Keith see NEW on page 28 Shots f ire d Police are Iookng for two youths in an older model black or dark blue Camaro after four gunshots were f ired f rom a passing car. A pedestrian witnessed the incident as he was walking eastbound on Laurier Avenue March 26, said Det. Sgt. Jackie Gordon of Halton Regional Police. No one was hurt. Police believe the weapon was a pellet gun, Det. Sgt. Gordon said.* Anyone with information is asked f0 contact Milton detectives at 878-5511, ext. 2415. Dr. Jo-Ann McKinnon 875-1322 'I' WAX WTH INERFO WIPDO N )1*,ly$4 ON'T SWEAT UT! Have your Air Conditioning System tested NOW! 1*u 'w Plus Pre-season Discounts on any ~AY.M~Y IOkK5COPI * Regular Repaire fty. 25 M. of 401 878-7200 a: - --- --- - --- -- - , - -r- -- - - , - - - - 4.1 1 1