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NEWS HIll stili scoring Page 4 SPORTS Local skiers shîne Page 24 "'h i x Weekend* A METROLANO COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER VOL. 144 NO. 86 FRIOAY, JANUARY 23, 2004 $1.00 (GST indlude 36PAE îsng Communication to Build Better Communities" /2OO3 record year for development By JASON MISNER The Champion Milton experienced a record year for resîdential and industria developmnent in 2003, and Town officiais say this pace of growth will likely continue for somne timne. Last ycar thse Town issued 1,990 building pennits, exceeding laat year's total of 1,776 permits, according 10 a staff report released 10 tise Town's administration and planning committee meeting Monday nigsî. -Champion up f or top award The Canadian Champion haa received a nomination in the Ontario Community Newspapers Association's (OCNA) 2003 Better Newspapers Awarda. T'Me Champion, wbich n0w haa a circula- tion of about 16,500, waa nominated with two other newspapers for general excel- lence in the circulation category of 12,500 to 24,999. The general excellence category jufiges editorial, advertising and overall presenta- lion of the newspaper. Alao nominated were the Orangeville Banner and Stoney Creek News. Final placing of first, second and third will be announced aI thse OCNA awards gala Mareis 6 aI Toronto's Inn on the Park. vMir ro r image Aaplrlng hockey star Lita Ourrmn, 2, gsts açoustomed to the boarde as she taes a fsw sispe on tls ceta Milton Sports Centre.This la herfUitt e on skates. Photo by GRAHAM PAINE A permit allows for a developer to begin construction Alto, Milton secured 698,907 square feet of industrial-commercial-institutional (ICI) development laat year, eclipsing 2002's figure of 651,104 square feet. Mel Iovio, Milton's director of planning and developinent, said he expects to se Ibis rapid rate of growtb for at least the next three or four years. "There's nothing on the radar screen to suggest (otherwise)." Terry Kay, Milton's chief building offi- ciai, agreed. "We anticipate thse saine sort of action." Perhaps an even more strilcing statistic to gauge tise kind of explosive residential growtb Milton is experiencing is to look at the number of housing starts in 2003. Erica McLerie, market analyst for the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Cooperation (CMHC), said there were 1,973 housing starta in Milton Iast year, a1o a record. That means a foundation was being poured to begin construction. Much of Milton's growth, Ms McLerie said, is due to thse 'Big Pipe', which is a see MILTON on page 35 Comment ...... 6-7 Real Estate ....16 Dateline ....20-21 Classified..28-31 e ffly, âaUaiy 23 0 Am .uliV M**k0 RW .feilmu M Ac brime eh fft#* Lg F* Ihop e*luI MeFmlte.FutwehP* 5.Iectd are,, o<ily ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Reay takes stainedl IPage13&î t