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mil R314i PUB3LIC I BRARY A Metroland Conimunity Newspaper Vol. 141 No. 48 ' F'uesdav. Austust 29.2000 40 Pages $ 1.00 (GST included) 'Overload of calis jams up 911 Unes Photo &y C5RMIAM PAIt «Fashionable entrance jidki Murdoch, dressd as 'Miss Ully - Hoxy Poxy Gsrdnsr', was among thosa who took part In the Milton and District Horticultral Soclsty's 90» snnlvfsary ceobrition in the Town Hall gardons Sunday aftamnoon. The. avant fsturad s fun fashlon show sntltlad 190 Vars of Girdenlng' as well as speeches indua cake cuttlng. TF F THMONTH: k1ib &m s~ul* rium Mm ta"el tapwm le jour pet Fl. lird frut l Nib. The puiaik mus AM.ShIebWidéff.YIthI ml~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~md llel u oehiImr Nwhclsi tS u m ulmcl By IRENE GENTIE The Champion A two-car accident that wiped out a hydro pole and Ieft live wires scattered around Thursday afternoon had nearby resident Candace Oakley racing to the phone to cail 911. But after dialing, she couldn't get a connection. "No one answered the phone. They weren't active at ail," said Ms Oakley. "I thought it should be brought to the pub- licas attention." The delay in answering was due to a glut of people calling in the same acci- dent, explained Halton Regional Police Supt. Paul Cormier. it took place at about 3:30 p.m. vYo uth fle es park outing in Ford van A youth serving tirne in an Oakville open custody facility faces several charges for alleged- Iy escaping from an outing in Campbellville Sunday evening. Four youths from the Spruce Lane facili- ty were attending a basebali game with a female caseworker when one of them demanded the keys to her vehicle, said SgL. Frank Phillips of Halton police. The woman refused and a youth punched and kicked her. The thee othei maies came to the woman's assistance but the youth fied in the 1999 Ford Windstar. Police later found the van in a diteh or Walkers Line near the Buffalo Compounc at Ratticanake Point Conservation Ares. - Police searched the ares with die help o' the tactical rescue and canine unita Shortly after midnight officers found thi gatehouse ransacked and a youth inside. A police officer was injured in the arresl A 16-year-old youth was charged witl robbery, theft over $5,000, break are enter, being unlawftully at large, breach o probation and assault causing bodily harnu Thursday at Ontario Street and Laurier Avenue. A man's arn was injured in the collision. "Everyone calla 911 when something like that happens, and there's only a cer- tain amounit of staff," said Supt. Cormier. 'There's just too many cails at one time aud 911 flooda." After repeated attempts to get through to the emergency uine, Ms Oakley opted tonty the police station inatead. She reached the front desk and was told she'd be connected 10 dispatch. But she at on hold for five minutes, she said, then called The Champion instead. "I neyer actually got through to any- one,"' said Ms Oakley. "Then 10 or 15 minutes later, an ambu- lance finally came. That's ridiculous. Someone could have died in that lime." But 911 operators had already dis- patched the appropriate emergency workers to the scene, and the public wasn't in perd,. said Supt. Cormier. "Whenever the public sees something happening we gel too many calîs to answer within the mandatory three rings," he said. "But they're ail calling about the same incident. The public wasn't in any jeop- ardy." Comnt ........ 6 rC.ommunity ...... 8 Datolins ....... 20 Sports ....m..21-23 , Classified ...25-27 eForno f llsuul il.1 r Fuesday- August 29, 2000