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Vn IY OA4 VIk 1f OO 9Ilo9 pacyg 75C' (GS'T included) AA Me nnniCVam-m,id-, 1%.T,wniner lA 1vietro1iu q () "iFityiN w t-'iVl.l - 11.- Hats off I Santa looks on as seven-year-old Jessica Laird tries RCMP Constable Lorna Murphy's hat on for sime during the c ourse of the force's annual holiday visit ta Milton District Hospital.j Money tfor Y2Kproblem Milton District Hospital will get $632,101 from the file (1900) ending the same way. provincial govemment to help cope with any comput- The money is part of a package worth almost $400 er pmoblems associated with the transition to the year million aimed at preserving the integrity of health sys- 2000. tem computers afier ianuary, 2000. The so-called Y2K problem is widely feared to Milton's sister hospital, Oakville Trafalgar potentially compromise ail sorts of computer networks Memorial, will get approximately $3 million to cope, and individual machines, since the year ends with two while Burlington's Joseph Brant is getting $2.5 mil- zeroes and many data banks already have a year on lion. Mi*lton eut in on action from siots By IRENE GENTLE The Champion A deal between the Province and 12 municipalities with horse racing has Daved the way for Mohawk Raceway to add siot machines. That should translate into a cool $1 .8 Ontario Jockey Club estimates. Up to 1,200 slots could be operaing at Mohawk by next June. Under terms of the agreement, Milton will receive five per cent of the proceeds from the first 450 slot machines at Mohawk, and two per cent for each machine after that, to help pay for spinoff costs such as policing and road repair. The horse racing industry will receive 20 per cent of slot proceeds. The Town's portion of the money will likely also be used to cover losses incurred by non-profit groups if interest in their chanity bingos dwindles. Council will decide how the money is allotted some time in the new year. Slots appropriate for race tracks The agreement contained a provincial zoning order stating that slots are an appropriate land use for race tracks. That should put an end to a Milton Ratepayer Association's appeal on the issue to the Ontario Municipal Board, which was scheduled for next year, according to Btyan Hill of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. zoning bylaw," he said. That was news to Pat Kelly, who filed the appeal. "So when do I get my $125 back?" he joked. What's the deal? asks Kelly Mr. Kelly said that though he is happy Milton will rake in some of the proceeds from the slots, he has questions on the nuts and boîts of the deal. "Does this money go straight to the municipal government or does (Halton) Region have a say?" he asked. "What's the rest of the deal?" If he is unsatistied, Mr. Kelly said he won't let the matter rest. * "We're stuck with it now but if we don't like it, we'll go to our MPP." r Councillor John Challinor said that heh >,"very pleased" with the agreement. "I'm not at ail surprised by this. I thini the government bas always bargained ir good faith with municipalities in terms of charity casi- nos," he said. "I always knew they'd come back to the table and they did." The deal is a win-win situa- PaKel tion for both Milton and Mohawk Raceway, he said. "Mohawk pays almost $1 million a year in property taxes. They hire 500 fulI-time employees and indirectly provide thou- sands of jobs in our community," he noted. "If Mohawk wasn't there we wouldn't have the horse industry that we do." Mayor Gord Krantz hailed the agree- ment as a step in the night direction. 1I am pleased with this. I supported it al the way," he said. "Mohawk is a very important part of our community and there was always that risk of them closing down." see SLOTS on page 3 Communuty Page 8 Year Un Review 4, 55 9 Sports158 Classified 17 raè;--n. Wednesday, December Ju, IMI505 Vol. 139 No. 84 ..- ir- . -- --- 1. -J - - - -