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0À Real Estate SPORTS inside Page 17 jco-nmittee Page 8 î ý A METROLAND COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER z (bbU~1on VOL. 146 NO. 1 TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2005 $1.00 (GST included) (CARRIAGE SQUARE) r Týpp,mJ 905-876-0222 36 PAGES "Using Communic-ation to Build Better Comimunities" ýHalton willi grow to 800,000 residents By MELANIE HENNESSEV The Champion Halton Region is expected to double its population by 2031, going up to almost 800,000 people. This is one of the figures contained in the Province's draft Places to Grow plan that svas the subject of a public forum hosted by the Region Wednesday evening. 'Me plan builds on the Places to Grow discus- sion paper released by the Minîstry of Public Infrastructure Renewal (MPIR) last July. lits a document aimed a> stopping urban sprawl and focusing compact development on 25 urban grovtlt centres. including downtosvn Milton, mid- town Oakville and dossntown Burlington. Hannah Evans, MPIR manager of partnerships and consultation, explained some of the main dif- férences between the draft plan and the earlier dis- cussion paper. She noted three new sections have been added covering a multi-year infrastructure strategy. sub- area growth strategies and the role of the citizen. Halton Director of Planning and Transportation Jane Clohecy said the new draft accomniodaîed most of the comments the Region submitted >0 the Province las> September. She went on t0 detail staff's initial thoughts on the plan, which included both praise and criticism. "The draft plan we flind is generally sound. ht will lead us to sustainable communities in the future," she said. She added Halton's official plan already achieves 80 to 90 per cent of the Province's policy directions. But she said staff has concerus with the sub- growth strategies, which are aimed a> meeting the specific needs of an area. "We have some conceruis that it will result in some duplication (with regional plans)." Ms Clohecy said. Halton has been included in a sub-area with the cities of Hamilton and Toronto and Durham, Peel and York regions. This also raises a concem for staff. since Halton is a small part of the sub-area -seven per cent of its population and 12 per cent of its land area. In light of this, Ms Clohecy questioned how well the Region's issues would be reflected. Only a few residents spoke about the plan a> the meeting, including Oakville resident Hank Rodenburg. He asked whether a healthcare strate- see RESIDENTS on page 5 Sorting it ail OUt Retired Milton District > High School teacher Brenda Trickey (left) helps sort donated books with Milton District High School student Navjit Kang in preparation for the 32nd annual Canadian Federation of University Womnen's book sale April 8 and 9 at Milton Mail. The group is stili in need of books, CDs and audio tapes for the sale, which goes 10 educational causes at local schools. Photo by GRAHAM PAINE PtIJACHASE NIC ce MRTLE 12,8*OR $258* 3.ttttre-IIP V6 Engine -4-Speed Auutomatic witt Overdrive -Rancie Keyiess Entry -Air Condttoning Crutse Cantro 4 Whee Dise Brakes -16" Twin t Spoke Aluminum Wheets -6 Speaker CD Sterec - g . - -1;Y3 W Inside Comment.......... 6 Business ...........7 Champion Country . .11 -16 Dateline ........12-13 Classifiod .....18-20 www.miltontoyota.com AUTO www.gorrudsautogroup.com