Real Estate SPORTS See what's Track and fo son the market shine at H inside Page 27 1fielciers lalton/GIiAC COMMUNITY Pilates works outw- body and soul rage 8 A METROLANO COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER VOL. 145 NO. 21 COl te Dat t JE 2004 $1.00 (GST included) 44 PAGES "Using Communication to Build Beter Communities" v--Just ducky DarnCmpd bana cf the 101h Annuel Mlton Uons Club Canaa Dey Duck Roc%~ als hln a portabe hot tub 11Usd iwith somne of the 4»00 ysllow ducica that w#i mae domn Ou.Sixteon Mlle erek. Race proceeilti help fua-4 the hoapkd'als hospice.rm.Thrm crnw dmu $4» wcrtof prime*up for graba ioltudlng e Nloe Mailbu gourmet OflI frm Beaombar M ot Tub end Honme. fckeat cost $3,co fr $5aendcunbe purchased et locations lnoludlngthe Milton Funmr' Madtand Seachoomber. Photo by GRAHAM PAINE Tree-cutti*ng bylaw stili in works Regional OPA public meeting attracts 50 people By JASON MISNER Special to The Champion Halton Regions top planners are pro- posmng a new home occupation policy while puttmng off adopting a contentious new tree-cuttmng bylaw until the fali. These are some of the revisions to Haltons Official Plan Amendment 25 (OPA 25) that wete revealed publicly for the first time ai a meeting Wednesday night. Roughly 50 people attended the approximately two-hour public meeting at Regional Council Chambers on Bronte Road in Oakville to hear some of the recommended changes - mostly minor -to OPA25. It may not sound terribly exciting, but the amendment is intended to go a long way in chart- ing growth, determining land uses and better pro- tccting the enviromnent in Haltois over the next few years. The Region is undergoing a provincially- rcquired five-year review of its Official Plan (OP) - the primary blueprint for a municipalitys growth - and asked residents to give their opin- ions on it. That meant giving their two cents on a host of general directions to improve Haltons OP policies that were set out last June. These directions, called OPA 25, cover a wide range of planning issues to enhance and strength- en policies affecting Haltons urban, rural and greenlands systems as well as healthy communi- ties policies. A total of 46 public submiùssions were handed in to the Region. One of the more notable changes is a proposed use that would allow a rural homeowner the oppor- tunity Io open up a business as an extension to the borne. t must be within 30 metres (98 feet) of the building, called an "accessory use" and use the same well water system. Currently, a person can only open a business inside the borne. A staff report on OPA 25 stated that "given the advent of technology, which makes srnall busi- nesses more feasible in a home setting, and the gencral non-intrusive nature of such uses" that accessory uses should be allowed. The policy is similar to that of the Niagara Escarpment Commnission. ese. LOCAL on page 16 j Comment..........o6 Business ........12-14 Dateline ........17-18 Champion Country . ..19-23 Classifiod .......24-26 Hurry IUn! Red Tag Days end May 31 LM 1 LT 0 N TOYOTA]