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~WL * i1.ÂAA.AJ~A~. A Metroland Cominunity Newspaper Vol. 140 No. 17 Tuesday, May 11, 1999 44 Pages 75 0 (GST included) à School in to esse GT.transportation woes. Currently, the Province pays for highways. Ail other costa are absotbed by municipalities. Businesses will not move into an ares if their goods and sales force are gridlocked, committee heard. According to the consultant's report about 70 per cent of the GTA highway network is jammed. To cope, people are increasingly crowding par- allel streets, such as Upper Middle Road, Regional Road Ftve, Derry Road and Steeles Avenue. Traffic tie-ups may get worse Union Station in Toronto bas reached capacity, while GO lacks the capital to expand along with upeomiùng growth. The traffic snarl is only likely to get worse, said Mr. McCleary. Today, the GTA and Hamilton-Wentworth are home to 5.1 million resîdents. They represent 2.78 million vehicles making 10 million trips daily. A large cash infusion is needed to cope with traffic tie-ups, satd the report. Today, about $570 million of municipal money is poured into the GTA-Hamilton transportation network. Reducing congestion levels would require $1 .3 billion, or another $800 million annually. The task force suggested that the federal and provincial govemments ha asked to kick in their share by funneling money raised fromn gasoline taxes and licencing fees back into ares transporta- tion needs. Portions of the Provincial Sales Tax generated froro vehicle sales andl leases could also ha applied to transportation needs. The government raises $2.1I billion in gasoline taxes from the GTA alone. A second funding plan sbould ha devised in case the two govemnments just say no, said Oakville Councillor Lix Behrens. "We need to have a back-up plan if we don't get support from the federal and provincial govem- ments," she said. "My own perception is we're dloser to a criais than we'd like to think. We're already at the breaking point." Halton's growth would stagnate if the two gov- emments don't agree to lend a helping hand, said Burlington Mayor Rob MacIsaac. "If we don't get this, we don't get growth. Businesses won't corne here if they can't move 'their goods around," hie said. "It is reaily appalling their (the federal and provincial government' s) lack of interest in this critical issue." Congestion problems in areas such as Kitchener- -,es TRANSPORTATION onl page 13 "What we've now won is the night to be equally poor," said Liz Sandals, president of the Ontario Public School Boards Association (OPSBA). "This decision wiII impact every board in the province." But Jim Sberlock, chair of Halton's Catholic board, sees it differently. 'They've suspended our right to tax for five years only," hie said. 'Vie didn't give up the right to levy taxes." Ms Sandals said if Ontario's Catholic boards were granted the night to levy taxes, public school boards should have the samne powers. But if Catholic boards aren't granted that right, public boards won't have it either, Ms Sandals added. eo CATHOLICS on page 13 Editorial page Dateline 6 14 Sports 24-26 Classitiled 27 -29 e " (hPper Dnu Mi -ht l1ss" (P) 0 Zellers -at t n and Surakcal 1br25,,,, Photo by GRAHAM PAINE vKcking back with a grood book Author/catoonlst Stv os.ruawth Brookvllle Public School studonts Denielle Soderholm end Anne Kltchlng et thie Farm Mslesm, whore the fourth annuel Il Love To Read' lltoramy festival wlll be held Sunday, May 30. The avant wlll Meuture roadings troam a dozen Canadien authors end lllustraors 'Gridlock could mean growth lock system will bide its time By DENNIS SMITH Special to The Champion Public school representatives are disappointed a court has over- tumned. a ruling to allow Ontario Catholic boards to Ievy taxes. Recently, an appeal decision ruled in favour of the provincial government's Bill 160, whîch removed the right of school By IRENE GENTLE The Champion A transportation crisis in Halton could stop growth in its tracks, the regional administration and finance committee heard recently. "iCongestion is positioned to ha a major problemn at the turn on the century," said Halton's senior planning and development policy advisor, David McCleary. Mr. McCleary is the head of a task force on * transporation funding. Along with consultants 1131 Group and Hemson Consulting Ltd., the task force recently completed a large-scale transportation study. * The analysis looked at the transportation needs and cos of the entire Greater Toronto Ares (GTA) as wel as Hamilton-Wentworth. Highways, regional roads, GO Transit and the TTC weoe ail studied. * "This is the first time 1've'seen anyone put things together like this," said Mr. McCleary. The report revealed that there are staggering costs - as wieil as staggermng congestion - asso- ciated with transportation in the future. The committee passed a resolution to request that the federal and provincial govemments pitch