C C N A BETTER NEWSPAPERS COMPETITION 20 0 0 www.oakvillebeaver.com custom uphulstciv ltd. For the finest in CUSTOM UPHOLSTERING call Baiers. Makers o f fine upholstered furniture. S c h a d e & frie n d s s e ll o u t fo r re s e a rc h D o w n to w n re a d y fo r Fall F estival! 2333WwioftRni Urit7 (Q fC \ QTJ l( X i ( b c r w w e n B r o n te& T h ird L in e )\7W ]O L/'iXXj THE A R T S 4-PAGE F E A T U R E WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12,2001 Mercedes-Benz 56 Pages 75 Cents (plus GST) A Metroland Publication Vol. 39 No. 109 Terrorist attack turns dreamlift trip into nightmare By Tim Whitnell SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER A plan e carrying a load o f children and adoles cents, including six youths from O akville hoping to enjoy th eir first visit to D isney W orld, had their dream s d ashed by T uesday's terrorist attacks in the U nited States. SkyService Flight 426, which departed Hamilton's John C. Munro International Airport Tuesday morning, passed over the Washington D.C. area around 9 a.m., about the same time the ter rorist campaign started. The special charter flight was headed to Orlando, Fla. with 95 children aged 6-19. The youths and teenagers, who have severe physical disabilities or lifethreatening illnesses, were anticipating fun in the sun and meetings with Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck through the Sunshine Dreams For Kids Dreamlift event. Instead, their once-in-alifetime trip was cancelled as Disney World and its older sister, Disneyland in California, were both closed at noon in reaction to the suicide plane crashes into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Worried parents of the children on the plane didn't know word of the flight's status for several hours. Among those scheduled to take part in the one-day whirlwind adventure were Oakville's W.M. Simpson, 6, Christina Martins, 8, Benjamin Medley, 9, Stephen Khan, 10, Maxwell English, 10, and Melanie Hawtin, 13. Burlington Post (a sister paper of the Oakville Beaver) editor Don Ford and photographer Ron (S e e `D re a m lift' p a g e A 4 ) M elanie Hawtin "I just want her home" By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville resident Marcia Hawtin's 13-year-old daughter, M elanie, was among the more than 12 Halton children visiting Florida's Disneyworld's Magic Kingdom yesterday. "I just want her home," said a frantic Hawtin who was glued to her television yesterday morning in search of any piece of information she might glean about what was happening with her daughter, a wheelchair racer who picked up two medals at the Canada Games. Hawtin had heard from a representative o f Dreams Take Flight by lunch time yesterday. (S e e `M o m ' p a g e A 5) Photo by Ron Kuzyk An unidentified little boy waits anxiously in the ballroom of the Radisson Hotel in Orlando, Florida, as officials from Dreams Take Flight decide what to do after their flight home was grounded. s. Shock waves felt in Oakville By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The tremendous loss of life and destruction from yesterday's terrorist attack in the United States took North America by surprise -- and sent shock waves through Oakville. "All Town of Oakville flags will be at halfmast to pay respect to the estimated 40,000 lives lost," said Town spokesperson Janine Carlson. And that was just the beginning. Oakville Transit provided early rush-hour service to respond to increased GO Transit ser vices as many evacuated Toronto around noon hour. GTA mayors issued statements of sympa thy about the events and to those directly affected by early afternoon. By mid-afternoon, the tragic events called an abrupt halt to the resumption of the public hearing on north Oakville growth last night. "The meeting on OPA 198 (Official Plan Amendment 198) has been cancelled for tonight and all other public meetings have been cancelled for the rest of the week," said Denise Sprout, of Oakville Mayor Ann Mulvale's office. Residents have been waiting since midJuly for the OPA 198 hearing to resume. It was to continue tonight, if need be. The Town tried to contact those involved to notify them late yesterday. .y "We apologize for the inconvenience, but in light of what is happening globally, we feel it is in the best interest of the Oakville com munity," said Carlson. "Out of respect for those people feeling the impact of the devastating events in the United States, it has been decided that all public meet ings will be cancelled for the duration of the week," said Carlson. Last night's Santa Claus Parade Meeting and Committee of Adjustment meetings were also cancelled. Thursday's Oakville Youth Advisory Committee Meeting won't take place. The terrorist attacks and subsequent border shutdowns affected production at the Ford of Canada assembly plants in Oakville. Because needed parts were stopped at the Canada-U.S. Border in Windsor, Ford of Canada Spokesperson John Amone said the afternoon shift at the car assembly plant, which produces Windstars, was cancelled. Production should resume on both shifts, today, he said. While production at the truck plant, which has one shift, continued Tuesday, it was scheduled to be closed, today. "There is no report of any known threat to Canada however, I have directed provincial officials to work with the federal and munici pal governments to take every precaution and to co-ordinate our responses. Emergency mea sures officials continue to meet," said a state ment from Ontario Premier Mike Harris yes terday. Here in Halton, Halton Region's (S e e `R e g io n ' p a g e A 7 ) Daughter in New York fled fo r safety By Wilma Blokhuis OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Tremors from Tuesday morning's terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York were felt in Oakville. "My daughter works two doors away," said a shaken Suzanne Farkas, a real estate agent with Century 21 and local resident. "She got the hell out." Christine Farkas, who lives in Manhattan and works as an analyst with Merrill Lynch, ran. out of the building after hearing an explosion shortly after arriving at work and hailed a taxi, said her mother. "When she got into the cab, she heard the second blast." (S e e `M o th e r' p a g e A 4 ) INSIDE « to d a y s ' p a p er IK Business......................... Fail Registration________ Entertainment....,...... ...... _ B 8 Snorts-............................. ____ D1 Classified____________ ___ C4 Automotive....................... ....... D8 Special Supplements: Photo by Riziero Vertolli Shoppers at Sears, Oakville Place, stop to watch as news unfolds about the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. Full Delivery: Party City Partial delivery: Sport Chek, On Site M agazine, Natural Factors, My Imagination Gallery; Upper Canada Springs, The Bay, Gino's Pina, A le m a n Carpets, Cashway Building Centres, Guardian Drugs, Home Depot, Appleby Mall, Holland Park Gallery, Sears, Colour Your World, Future Shop, Lansing Buildail, Lakeshore Place Retirement Canadian Publications Mail Product Agreement #435-201 ;£'· The Oakville Beaver is a recyclable product. 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