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T h e Oakville B O a fo tffe C ew m iM tity OFFICIAL MEDIA OF Mother's Day GIFT GUIDE Special feature inside bee Airmen tor details. V trademark of Bell Canada used under license. Photo by Glen Thiessen Five-year-old Quinton Cruickshanks holds a pine tree ready for planting Ford plant employees want to connect families & nature By Amber Clarke SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER What better way to spread the word about the Oakville Ford assembly plant's new Families and Nature Club than with a green 1999 Windstar. Over the next two months, the Oakville-built vehicle will be present at outdoor school events to deliver memberships and information about the new nature club. And adult members of the club could wind up winning a two-year lease of the 1999 Ford Windstar SE. The Windstar was picked because of its environ­ mental features. According to Ford officials, all 1999 Windstars are 78% recyclable by weight, and are low emission vehicles with almost 70% less smog-forming hydrocarbon emissions than required by Canadian regulations. The Families and Nature Club was officially launched at a ceremony on the grounds of the Oakville Assembly Plant last Saturday. Oakville students, families and individuals who join the club contribute to the preservation of the local environment, support schools and enjoy the natural beauty of Halton Region Conservation Parks. The new initiative started by the Oakville Assembly Plant has already signed up one out of every three Oakville schools. For every $10 raised by the program, $9 is forwarded to local conserva­ tion projects or participating area schools, according to Oakville Assembly Plant Manager Denton Grenke. "Part of the responsibility we have to the com­ munity is to be a good corporate citizen," said Grenke. Individual memberships cost $4.50, and family memberships start at $10.50. Members receive a benefit package with deals and information on Halton Conservation Areas. A donation of $2.50 will be directed back to participating schools, and 50 cents is given to the Halton Region Conservation Foundation. Members and their schools also qualify for a wide range of contests and prizes. A group of high school students were on hand selling trees for planting at Saturday's launch as part of the Earthkeepers Trees for Learning program. The program is raising funds for the Bronte Creek Project which operates two environmental leader­ ship camps -- Camp Nemo and Camp Sidrabene -- for Halton students on the Niagara Escarpment. Earthkeeper students are selling trees for planting to Oakville Assembly Plant employees this month. Earthkeeper Billie Selfe says the project sold $1,(XX) worth of trees during a three-hour shift change at the plant last week. The environmental leadership camps "emphasize personal contact with the natural world everyday, and spend time trying to help solve environmental problems, mostly by altering personal habits and liv­ ing more lightly on the planet, and teaching other people," said Doug Jacques, Earthkeeper Teacher and Site Director of Mount Nemo Camp. (See 'Plant' page 2) A M etroland Publication Vol. 37 No. 53 X Town backs * O lym pic b id a fte r C rom bie p ro m ises n o t to u se ta x $$$ By H o w a rd M ozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF O akville Town C ouncil has endorsed Toronto's bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games. On M onday night, Toronto O lym pic B id C orporation chair D avid C rom bie won councillo rs over by com m itting to a debt-free games that he says will not involve tax dollars, but will enlist the input o f as many G r e a t e r Toronto Area (GTA) resi­ dents as pos­ sible. The finan­ cial im plica­ tions o f the X X I X S u m m e r Liz Behrens: O l y m p i c wants taxpayers Games came protected U.P severlal tim es in the discussion. Ward 5 councillor Liz Behrens, for exam ple, said the only way she would endorse the plan was if Crombie gave his word that no tax money would be used in the bid nor for the O lym pics itse lf if Toronto won. Crombie prom ised. Behrens' sentim ents were echoed by Ward 3 councillor Tedd Smith who also wanted reassurances that any games would be run debt and deficit free. Crombie explained that, except for several ind iv iduals seconded from various levels o f government, the approxim ately $2.5 billion cost of the bid and the games would be funded from sources other that pub­ lic money. "The intention is to pay for the games and leave a legacy," said Crombie. O akville Town C ouncil's endorsem ent is sim ply another piece o f the w idespread support Crombie says the Toronto Olympic Bid Corporation has been soliciting within the GTA for more than two years. He said after more than 100 meetings it became clear that five criteria for the games were essen­ tial. The first that the event be inclu­ sive, m eaning it involves and respects the diversity w ithin the GTA. The gam es m ust also be socially responsible, said Crombie, as well as environm entally progres­ sive and financially sound. Last but not least, Crom bie con­ tinued, the games m ust not merely be a two-week blowout, but must also leave behind a legacy to both sports and the GTA in general. Phase Two of the bid will involve stakeholders from every level of government. Established will be a board of 118 m em bers and an exec­ utive of 18 individuals. Ten com ­ mittees with a m embership o f well over 200 people will also be creat­ ed. The venue com m ittee, for exam ­ ple, will oversee 31 sites, 10 of which will be along the waterfront. There will also be heritage and cul­ ture, legacy and com m unity enhancem ent com m ittees. Crombie said more than 2,500 volunteers are already on board. Phase Three then runs through until Septem ber 2000 in Moscow w here the w inning city w ill be announced. WEDNESDAY, MAY 5,1999 A I R f ^ E L L (* ) 8 4 7 - 5 7 0 0 ^ C o m m u n ic a tio n s in c . Approved Agent 481 North Service Rd. W. (E.of 4th Ln.) 847-5700 n i i i Residents * get help in CN noise fight Town to pay legal fees By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF W hen and if the Oakville Stop-CN-In- Their-Tracks Committee continues its battle with the railway in court, it will do so with the financial support of the Town. On Monday night Town Council hammered out a new funding policy designed to aid local residents faced by extraordinary legal bills involving issues with serious community implica­ tions. What this means for Stop-CN is that the Town will pay for the committee's legal costs if the Federal Court of Appeal rules that Canadian National (CN) railway's appeal o f a recent Canadian Transport Agency (CTA) order can pro­ ceed. 'This basically serves notice on CN that we will go all the way to the Supreme Court and beyond," said Stop CN president Peter Krysmanski. The funding does not cover the more than $25,000 Stop-CN has already collected to fight CN over its ongoing noise dispute. (See 'CN' page 8) ^ Hospital to lobby # for more long-term care beds By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) will decide later this week how many long-term care beds will be contained in its sec­ ond such application to the province in a year. A meeting has been scheduled for Thursday night between the stakeholders in the latest request for proposal process, namely Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) - which encompasses OTMH and Milton District Hospital (MDH) - plus Extendicare. It will be decided then whether to re-submit the 1998 plan or offer any new twists. Last year, HHS applied for new beds for OTMH and MDH. In December, HHS was informed by the province that it "won the compe­ tition," but that they must develop 96 beds in Halton Hills. At the time, HHS president and CEO, John Oliver, expressed his disappointment that they (See 'OTHS' page 8) INSIDE today's paper Editorials........................................... .J h f f Focus................................................. „B1 Business........................................... ..Rft Homes & Garrlens.......... .............. Rft Mother's Day.................................. _C1 Art & Entertainment........ „C6 _D1 nn Automotive.........................................D8 Speed Supplements: For Nome Delray National Sports, The Boy, Business Depot Sports Authority, Party City Partial de/rVery: While Hose, Sheridan Nurseries, Oakville Dodge, The Brick, Slay, CMS Guardian, Academy ol Learning, ta ll Drugs, Holland Part, The Bay C anad ian P u b lica tio n s M ail P roduct A g reem ent #435-201 PeterWatson I N V E S T M E N T S RETIREMENT PLANNING SPECIALISTS F r e e C o n s u l t a t i o n 8 4 2 - 2 1 0 0 Peter C. W atson 1M .B.A., C.F.P., R EP.. #