The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

V4-The Canadian Champion, Fniday, February 15, 2002 Got a hot scop? Ploase cai uswtM ilton gets $790,OOO boost your stury îc>eas ai (9umi d/tS-z54 7. Don't Put It Off, TAXE iT OFF! 1G4z ntaewece *Basud on fU prcgram. Excludea products. New etient only Expires Pois. 17/02 froin Go Transit funding By RICHARD VIVIAN The Champion Local transit systemrs received a boost Wednesday, when Halton regional couancil returned $8.8 million in now unnecessary Go Transit funding to the municipalities. The firods - $790,000 to Milton, $890,000 to Halton Hills, $3.3 mnillion to Burlington and $3.72 rail- lion to Oakville - were collected. through property taxes in 2001, but becamne unnccssary when thc Province announced in September it was taking back responsibility of Go Transit operations. Ail fonds are to be used speciflcally for transit ini- tiatives, with a focus on inter-regional service. "A lot of people regret that there aren't any north- south transit connections within die Region of Halton. IthUink with Uic transfer of money local transit systeros shoulti explore Uic potential of a noslh-south (connec- tion)," suggested Burlington Councillor John Taylor. tt's too early to say what will be done wiUi Milton's share of Uic cash, as Town staff are awaiting clarifica- tion of Uic provincial guidelines surrounding its use. Town council will ultimately decide how Uie funds are uscd. The fact Uiat Uic Town contracts out its transit sys- temr alto leaves some questions to he answered, said Mayor Gord Krantz. "Juat how flexible Uie contracts we have, l'in really not sure, but just to illustrate, Uic option may be Uiere to take a look at Uic contract. Assuming both sides are willing to look at Uiat... we might be able to buy a new bus and get Uie operation at a lower cost (since Uic contractor currently uses Uieir own buses)," offered M. Krantz. "It'll be up to (Town) staff now to fmre-tunc it and corne back wiUi a recommiendation or an alternative or two."1 As regional council returned Uic collected MILTON Thse Cotsinunity Services Deparbta1 is currntly seeking qualifled applicants for thse following au*ttne part-timne positions: PWlaseforwad yor application by Friday, Match 1, 200 in confience tb: Coordinar, Hunsan Resources The Corporaton of tise Town of MiltoS 43 Brown St., Milton, Ontario. M9 5H2 Fax: 905-818-4231 la acedane wids thse Freedoin of Inration ami Ptivacy legislatics, applcant infonnation is collecsed und&r dmt athoelty of lte bMnicipa Act Mdl wWl be used sssnctly for candidat seleesio. We would like to thank ail applIcant who apply for #hes psitions, but wo asutalvse *ia onty qqllcant choien for an interiew will lie çonstd. taxes, they also put mnto motion the process to detrmine what to do with the funds in the future - expected to be $70 million over the next 10 years. That decision is to be made in June and is likely to be a contentious one, added the mayor. "Those discussions could get quite heated," he said, referrmng to the regional council decision t0 either manage the transit funding or dishurse it to thse munic- ipalities. "I really don't mind it (transit) havmng a negative impact on thse tax-base as long as thse systemt works and as long as people are using it. 1 don't want buses or trains gomng up and down the road empty." Transit a priority No matter what the outcomne of that discussion, regional counicillors agreed transit is a priosity and there needs to be bots federal and provincial involve- ment. "When you look at transit initiatives as a spreari- sheet, the studies are done, the will is there, the column that is missing is thse cash from the federal and provin- cial govemments," said Regional Chair Joyce Savoline. "We're putting our money where our mouth is, but that only gels one-third done." Speculation and doubt surrounding thse lengsh of the Province's commitmnent to fund GO Transit's opera- lion costs shouldn't prevent major capital investments bemng made with sax money - should that be the pre- ferred option - warned Burlington Mayor Ros Maclsaac. "There's always going to be some uncertainty about what the Province may do in thse future but at stme point we have to make a-decision (conceming future funds)," he told counicil. "Local transit desperately needs an infusion of cash." MaxMw£% Out On Vour RRSP Smart Ideas! An RRSP Is a personal savlngs plan registered with the federai govern- ment that allows you to save for your future on a tax-deferred basis. Today's RRSP also plays a key raie In heiping you effectively manage your personai finances and reduce the amount of taxes you pay eacti year. A word 0f advice. Take advantage of our solid financl and lnvestment expertise. We'II help you make sense 0f the options available. Together we work out a plan for ail your needs, including retirement. Caîl Cassandra Thnmpson at 905-876-4607, ext. 227 today, to talk about RRSPs and other lnvestment options avallable. Mutual Punds are dlstrlbuted by mutual fund dealer ING Wealtt, Management mnc. 905-876-M67 x 227 Fax: 905-876-1001 thomspocathjminsurance.com tasmiIa~ Ikhmpw Finascis Planner B EVERLILLS ReS TREATMENTS a BODY sSILP11N 550 Ontario St. S. Unit 18 875-2889 1 ING WEALTH MANAGEMENT ING _ý