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lAKVILLEB S & a ra f-lF H H fH ff C a ttm m rty 23AS& H I S T O R Y WHY PAY FULL PRICE FO R SH O ES? Q .E .W . at W ontoa (WtUI Tw aoH carved in stone Focus 146 WEDNESDAY, DECEM BER 8 ,1 9 9 9 Far the finest in CUSTOMUPHOLSTERING Mutes of fine uptatgaal fummnt 2U3Wncnil Had. U* 7 call B aicr's. AMetroland Publication Vol.37No. 52 Pages 75 C ents (plus GST) m I/ Suspect arrested in poppy fund thefts By H ow ard M ozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF " . H I? Photo by Peter J. Thompson alton Regional Police have arrested a 23-year-old preg nant woman in connection with the theft of eight Royal Canadian Legion poppy boxes on Remembrance Day. TIM E TO REMEMBER: Appleby College students (I to r) Adam Nielsen, David Weatherhead, Christine Hibbcrd and Caroline Choi, light candles at St. Jude's Anglican Church in remembrance of the female engineering students killed in the Montreal mas sacre 10 years ago For story, see page A3. The woman - who is eight months pregnant - was arrested Monday at her Campbcllville home. Halton Regional Police Sgt. Frank Phillips credited the determination and solid investigative work of Const. John Ophovcn in cracking the case which had outraged veterans and other residents alike. According to police, a woman entered businesses on Remembrance Day while ceremonies were under way claiming she had to pick up the poppy `Red' Wilson' s $500,000 gift aimed at Canadian history By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF For O akville's Lynton "Red" Wilson, Canadian history is far more than merely dates and names. It is the very fabric from which our society is constructed. "Any family, any country, any busi ness, needs to have a memory, how it came to be and what it stands for," said Wilson, chairman of BCE Inc., parent company of Bell Canada and Nortel Networks Corp. "History is absolutely fundamental if we are to maintain a sense o f community." That said, the prominent business man said he is "surprised and hon oured" to be listed among those recog nized on Maclean's Magazine's 1999 Honour Roll for his $500,000 donation to kick-start a fund to encourage the teaching and learning of Canadian his tory. (Maclean's list includes individu als as diverse as Pierre Burton and the cast o f This Hour Has 22 Minutes.) Wilson, however, deflects the acco lade toward all those who have rallied toward what at First was essentially a private effort on his part to stimulate a vital understanding of this country. These influential champions include the Charles R. Bronfman Foundation which has contributed a matching grant to a maximum of $25 million. This sub stantial backing will go a long way to helping Wilson's foundation - recently named Historica - reach its $50 million goal. According to Wilson, 59, the sky's the limit when it comes to where the money will be spent. Materials £or teachers and educator development is a priority. A website and other electronic media will make valuable resources more accessible to all, as will Canadian history programs on television, for example. `T he amazing thing is that there is so much interest." said Wilson. "People are asking 'Why aren't we learning more? Why aren't our children learning more?' " Wilson and his associates are also lobbying the provincial and federal (See 'Gilt' page A4) boxes. On one occasion, at the Beer Store at Lakeshore Road and Kerr Street, a sur veillance camera captured a suspect on tape. Sgt. Phillips explained that a woman entered the store between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Nov. 11th while another person waited in a car. Poppy boxes were also stolen from three businesses in Maplegrove Plaza The Beer Store, Becker's and Pharma Plus - Fantasy Fruit Market on Lakeshore Road, T.O. Fine Foods on East Street and two more Beer Stores on Upper Middle Road. Both the Oakville and Bronte Legions lost funds as a result of the thefts. The poppy money is used to help veterans and their dependents who are in need, such as to purchase wheelchairs and walkers. The cash cannot be used fop Legion buildings or any other purpose and the bulk must be spent prior to the next year's Poppy Fund Drive. Ophoven used the security video to obtain an image of the thief as well as the getaway car. (Computer enhancement failed to get the licence number.) Ophoven then conducted what police call an off-line search in which the Ministry o f Transportation provided him with the records of similar Acura vehi cles. Ophoven narrowed the search to sev eral vehicles in Halton and, armed with the surveillance image of the woman, was able to focus in on the accused. Lorraine Maria King of Guelph Line in Campbcllville is charged with eight counts of theft under $5,000. She is scheduled to appear in Oakville provhv cial court on Jan. 18, 2000. F a te o f p o lic e h e lic o p t e r u p in th e a i r By H ow ard M ozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The Halton Regional Police's whirlybird cye-in-thesky will soon be grounded until further notice. According to Halton Regional Police Superintendent Paul Cormier, time is running out on the test phase of the initiative and the last scheduled Halton flight is set for Dec. 19th. After that, an independent consultant will evaluate the program's relative merits and report back around March 2000. "The recommendations will be up to the consultant," he said. "We want it to be totally independent." In April, Ontario's Solicitor General announced that $900,000 would be spent on four, 20-week helicopter evaluation projects in the province, $250,000 of which was earmarked for the joint Halton, HamiltonWentworth and Peel Region project. In addition to provincial funding, each region kicked in $100,000. (Pilot projects also took place in Toronto. London and the York/Durham Regions.) Cormier explained that funds were set aside at the start to pay for the consultant, who will evaluate the pro gram for Halton, Peel and Hamilton-Wentworth. Once these findings are in, Cormier said the debate will begin about the value of continuing a helicopter program and the costs attached. No firm decision will likely be made next year, Cormier continued, since by March the region's 2000 budget will have already been decided. "It would be inappropriate to budget for it until the evaluation is complete." he said. The helicopter included a fully steerable 30-million candlepower searchlight, a thermal imaging system, video cameras and more. This makes the chopper an ideal tool for apprehending criminal suspects in events ranging from police pursuits to rescues on both land and in the lake. Cormier adrfiits some residents have complained about the noise of the helicopter and the intrusive searchlight at night. Police have responded to every objection, he said, and explained to people exactly what the aircraft was doing in each instance. "We didn't convince everyone, but a large majority were satisfied with the explanation," said Cormier. Editorial* Fonts... ............................. Driver flees after woman struck Halton Regional Police are looking for w it nesses in a Nov. 30th hit and run collision which sent a pedestrian to hospital w ith serious injuries. According to Sgt. Frank Phillips, the 54-year old fem ale victim was delivering flyers on Valley Drive around 9 a.m. She was walking north on the grass curb on the west side o f the road when a m id-sized, dark gray car on the wrong side o f the road struck the woman from behind. The victim was thrown into a ditch by thp impact while the driver fled without slowing or stopping. The woman was transported by ambulance to O akville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital with a broken pelvis. She is expected to be hospitalized for two to three weeks. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Oakville Staff Sergeant at 825-4747 R1 .......B8 `tis The Season.................... C1 C6 Homes & Gardens............... ......C8 Snorts ........................ ___ D1 Business ..... ........................... D3 Classified.............. ............ D4 Automotive D8 For Home Delivery: Business Depot, National Sports, The Bay, Leon's, The Sports M onty, Party Pickers Partial delivery: Little Caesars, Cashway, Lakeshore Music, White Hose, Libels, Hilton Life, CMS Guardian, The Brick, Sheridsn Nurseries Canadian Publications Mail Product Agreement #435-201 _ . , 1 t j4 r _ i L | l i . i t .... . . ,,._. m / s paper IN S ID E JSB L o tte ry w in n e r re a d y to m o ve Sherrill Southern, who says she's never won anything before, wins Dream Home S to rie s by W ilma B lokhuis OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Spending $100 a year on tickets for the Oakville Dream Home Lottery has paid off beautifully for Sherrill Southern and her family. It was the only prize she's ever won in her five years of buying tickets. The win surprised and overwhelmed the Oakville resident. Her ticket for the $360,755 Mattamy WideLot home in Upper Glen Abbey was drawn Friday night at a gala reception to thank sponsors and supporters at the Mattamy Sales Pavilion. "I've never won anything, not even $10 in Lotto 649," she said while viewing the house with her equally delighted hus band Harry. "I just got home from Ottawa an hour before the call came telling Sherrill she won the house," said Harry. That call was placed by Peter Gilgan, president of Mattamy Homes, who had drawn her ticket minutes earlier. "Are we happy?" said Harry, as he looked out of the slid ing glass doors in the dining room onto a large wooden deck. "I can't begin to tell you how happy we are." The 3,025 sq. ft. house, on Oakhaven Drive, features exte rior stone construction, a wrap-around porch overlooking a section of the Oakville Heritage Trail currently under devel opment, four bedrooms including an ensuite with whirlpool, four bathrooms, kitchen with appliances and island, broadloom and hardwood flooring, central air and central vacuum ing. (Sea 'Winner' page A8) Officials say this ye a r' s lottery was best-ever The Oakville Dream Home Lottery has raised more than $1 million to be divided equally between the Oakville YMCA and Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. "This is our most successful lottery ever," said Larry Wilson, chairman of the Community Foundation of Oakville (CFO), at Friday's gala reception at the Mattamy Sales Pavilion to recognize sponsors and supporters, and to draw the winners of the eight major prizes. "All 65,000 tickets were sold out prior to our early bird (See 'Lottery' page A8) i in a ll areas. Photc Oakville Dream Home Lottery winner Sherrill Southd her new home, with some help from Peter Gilgan, whos, Homes built the house. 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