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The Oakville Beaver, W e d n e s d a y July 3, 2002 - A 3 u r r y ·· i n s B e s t S e le <o, % F II N o Bill H arasym , left, paused fo r a m om ent o f reflection during a walking to u r of the T rafalgar M oraine. His glasses cap tu red the reflection of the T aras Shevchenko M em orial. Mike Colle, a Toronto-area M PP and L iberal critic for the GTA, listened to Oakville resident Tanya O rton. p a y m e n ts fo r 9 0 d a y s ! `Like selling land with gold underneath' (Continued from page 1) important greenbelt link between Bronte Park and the rest of the Trafalgar Moraine, according to Oakvillegreen. They have forwarded a petition to Premier Ernie Eves asking that the lands remain in public ownership, to be used for reforestation programs. Mike Lansdown, a spokesperson for Oakvillegreen. noted that almost all of the 300 acres the ORC has suggested donating to the town is "hazard land" that can't feasibly be built upon anyway because it's part o f the 16 Mile Creek val ley. The 300 acres are also spread across three dif ferent woodland areas, not contiguous to one another. Across the ORC hinds, farm fields abut mead ows of milkweed and wildfiowers, and stands of Carolinian forest. The area contains 11 headwater streams, and a number o f wetland areas. Deer tracks skirt the farm fields, colourful but terflies land on flowers, and red-winged blackbirds chase each other overhead. Only the distant drone o f Hwy. 407 reminds one that the urban world is not far away. O'Hara, a native plant specialist who grew up riding his bicycle through Oakville's natural areas, says the encroachment of development upon environmentally-sensitive areas inevitably leads to damage of plants and animal habitat. And Colle points out that the value of the ORC lands isn't simply in what's on them, but also what is under them. "This is like selling land you've got gold under neath." he said. "In this case though, the gold is water." Last week's walking tour, which attracted about 20 people, also stopped briefly at the Taras Shevchenko Memorial Park. The park, dedicated to the famed Ukrainian and established in 1951 in honour of the 60th anniver sary of Ukrainians in Canada, is on the north side o f Dundas Street east of Third Line and adjacent to the ORC lands. The Association of Ukrainian Canadians owns the 16-acre property, and board member Bill Harasym told the group the organization has spo ken to town officials about donating the property, provided it remains a public green space. C a ra v a n up to 48 m ths J O O /H up to 60 m ths 0% FINANCING up to 60 months o r - Police order new command unit Customized vehicle to be used in major criminal cases, disasters Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) has ordered a new Mobile Comm and Unit (MCU) for use in everything from major criminal cases to dis asters. Last week, the Halton Regional Police Services Board authorized the expenditure of $ 132.000 to buy the customized MCU from Outdoor Travel, as well as computer/communica tion equipment and interior modifications not to exceed $30,000. The board also okayed the transfer of ownership o f the cur rent. 14-year old MCU (now worth only S8.0(X)) to the Halton Ambulance Service in order to offset future charges for garage facilities. This way, says Chief Ean Algar. the new unit will remain indoors when not in use and will ultimately last longer if not exposed to the elements. The MCU is used for serious criminal situations, disasters and accidents as well as for a back up comm unication centre in event of fire or the failure/evacu ation of headquarters' Communications Centre. It will also act has the command centre during hostage situations and to offer a police presence at com munity events. "This vehicle here fits all our needs," said Algar. "This meets all our functional requirements." The current MCU, which the chief characterized as "antiquat ed," has been in service since 1988 and. although it's logged only 26.000 kilometres, it suffers from a num ber of mechanical problems, a leaky roof, an undepend able generator and overall wear-and-tear. "This vehicle no longer meets the chang ing operational needs of the HRPS." said Algar. A team was struck last year to investigate the best possible replacement and although a trailer concept w as abandoned, a more user-friendly RV type was eventually sanc tioned. One reason being this variety requires only a Class G. not a Class A, drivers licence and also fulfills officers' requirements more efficiently. Using the Oakville Fire Departm ent's vehicle when required is not an option, says the chief, since this may not always be available when need ed by HRPS. He also explained that an emergency o f a certain magni tude would likely require each service to operate out of its own MCU. $3,000 Rebate OAKVILLE DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP S pew s Rd O ed g eT ru cks w w w . o a k v ille d o d g e .c o m 5 (905) 845-4211 o Wing Chair Reg. $ 1,479 NOW $739 50% off Province bumps spending by $645M (Continued from page A1) "Everyone at HHS has worked very hard to provide the best possible healthcare services to the residents of our grow ing communities in a fiscally responsible manner," said Halls. "We will continue our discussions with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to ensure the residents o f Halton contin ue to have access to quality health care services in their own communities." The money was part of last week's Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care funding announcement which, according to the province, bumps healthcare spending in Ontario by $645 million over last year for a total of $9.4 billion. As a key part of hospital budgets, the $645 million will be invested in a variety of ways: $100 million for growth area hospitals; $180 million to cover inflationary pressures; $110 million to expand and enhance programs (such as cardiovas cular services); $65 million for acute care, rehabilitation and complex continuing care; $120 million for one-time funding for hospitals which have demonstrated operational efficiency; $70 million to assist hospitals facing financial pressures or undergoing operational reviews. PAY NO Bedroom Suite Queen SI _.w,, Bed, Dresser, Mirror, 2 Night Stands Reg. $ 11,325 set tax: O THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY *ALL YELLOW TAGGED CLEARANCE ITEMS NOW $4,499 60% o ff TO 40% 70% OFF i PLUS NO GST & NO PST A d d i t i o n a l F u r n itu r e i t e m s & A c c e s s o r i e s th r o u g h o u t th e s to r e a r e o n s a le a t g r e a tly r e d u c e d p r ic e s . o Computer Cabinet Reg. $3,657 NOW $1,999 Money a surprise to board ' (Continued from page A1) The amount of extra maintenance money for the board came as somewhat o f a surprise to Cullen. "I thought we would have gotten very little." he said, not ing he believed the government was not going to use a board's ratio of its student population to the student population across the province as the main criteria in a funding formula. Even though he hasn't seen the rationale used by the gov ernment. Cullen thinks that's what the ministry did with the HDSB as the amount it has been given equals about two per cent of the $25 million total. About two per cent of all stu dents in Ontario schools are at the Halton public board, he observed. - Story by Tim Whitrtell. special to The Beaver We pay the PST & GST on Thursday July 4, Friday July 5 & Saturday July 6, 20021 on all yellow tagged items. Previous orders excluded. Subject to prior sale. 45% off O o Chairside Curio Reg. $1,269 ENNISCLARE INTERIORS 1075 NORTH SERVICE ROAD WEST, OAKVILLE Tel.: (905) 825-2450 Trunk Reg. $2,139 NOW NOW $634 50% off STORE HOURS: Mon., Tues.,Wed. &Sat. 10:00 am to 5:30 pm Thurs. & Fri. 10:00 am to 9:00 pm. Closed Sundays July &August www.ennisclareinteriors.com $749 65% off AD 2-7-7