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economist sunsuntribune news saturday nov 19 2005 11 international drug trail 1 led police to york region by martin derbyshire staff writer agents from the united states drug enforcement agency with the help of the rcmp busted two massive ecstasy distribution rings this week they allege ran from the back alleys of the far east to the streets of york region toronto and several us cities s authorities allege the huge drug distribution and money laundering operations were responsible for pushing more than 15 million ecstasy tablets a month across the continent this is not just the tip of the iceberg this is a big chunk of the iceberg dea special agent steve robertson said weve taken down a major trafficking network here mdma powder the chemical used in ecstasy production was allegedly smuggled into canada where pill press warehouses were set up to make the drug and then smuggle bulk quantities into the united states a dea statement says following a 24month inves tigation dubbed operation sweet tooth 291 people includ ing nine in toronto and york were arrested this week the dea is now working to extradite those arrested in cana da to face charges in the us there were ecstasy distribu tion cells found in york region and toronto dea spokesperson bill grant said arrest warrants have also been issued for four additional canadian suspects according to thercmr approximately 931300 mdma tablets 1777 pounds of marijuana and 775 million in us assets were seized york regional police made the largest ecstasy bust in cana dian history in december 2004 seizing uncut ecstasy with a street value of over 500 million and rcmp officials fear these lat est busts area part of a disturbing pattern in canada we are seeing an increasing trend in the use of clandestine produced chemical drugs said rcmp superintend ent ron allen the officer in charge of the gta drug section which assisted in operation sweet tooth ecstasy has become a drug of choice at work schools nightclubs and house parties the rcmp canadian border services and york regional police assisted with the investigation and the execution of search war rants on this side of the border with canada the us shares more than a border we share the determination to reclaim our neighborhoods from the grip of drugs dea administrator karen r tandy said this opera tion shows we will discover dis mantle and together decimate ecstasy trafficking organizations from the kingpin to the street dealer saggs brand name furniture not brand name prices markham 8400 woodbine ave 3rd floor in the furniture mall just south of hwy 7 9054750705 offer applicable on promotion priced floor models does not apply to prior orders sales or deliveries models may not be exactly as shown not all floor models may be available not valid with any other offer or promotion bring in to us a published competitors advertised price within the past four weeks of the same modelproduct and we will beat it by 5 guaranteed we will discount the price of goods equal to the tax payable rural towns see big increases prom page 1 will likely produce a spike at tax time he added with an average increase of 1655 per cent georgina was the highest in the region a georgina home valued at 250000 in 2003 would suddenly be worth 291375 at 856 per cent markham was low est the provincial average was 1268 per cent the highest increases in property values were in yorks more rural municipalities whitchurch-stouf- fville east gwillimbury georgina and king township where assessments increased 15 to 16 per cent with home prices appreciating 80 per cent over the past decade in york region real estate remains a solid investment said jason mercer a sen ior analyst at the canadian mortgage housing corporations gta branch thats well above inflation he said a robust housing market shows no signs of turning in 2006 either thats underlaid by solid market factors and a good local economy mr mercer said for a senior citizen or anyone on a fixed income a dramatically higher assessment can be added stress but assessments simply reflect the marketplace said gregory baxter account manager at mpac we believe the values are accurate but if people feel theyre not well review it mr baxter said the regional municipality of york highway 404 crossing between highway 7 and 16th avenue class environmental assessment schedule c notice of completion the regional municipality of york jointly with the town of richmond hill and the town of markham have completed a class environmental assessment study class ea to address the need for additional transportation capacity across the highway 404 corridor between highway 7 and 16th avenue the proponents have planned this project under schedule c of the municipal class environmental assessment june 2000 process the preferred design includes a proposed fourlane road over highway 404 that connects east pearce street in richmond hill to centurian drive in markham the environmental study report esr documents the planning and decision making process followed for this project by this notice the esr is being placed on the public record for a 30day review in accordance with the requirements of the municipal class ea subject to comments received as a result of this notice and the necessary approvals the proponents intend to proceed with the detailed design and construction of the project as documented in the esr the esr will be available for public review from november 18 2005 to december 19 2005 at the following locations during regular business hours the town of markham office of the clerk ground floor 101 town centre blvd markham ontario l3r 9w3 9054754744 the town of richmond hill office of the regional clerk- ground floor 225 east beaver creek road richmond hill ontario l4b3p4 9057718800 regional municipality of york office of the regional clerk 4th floor 17250 yonge street newmarket ontario l3y 6z1 18774649675 ext 1320 should you have concerns with this project that cannot be addressed through consultation with the proponents you may request that the minister of the environment make an order for the project to comply with part ii of the environmental assessment act this would require the project to undergo an individual environmental assessment the part ii order request must be received by the minister of the environment by the end of the 30day public review period at the address listed below if no part ii order request is received by december 19 2005 the proponents will proceed with design and construction of the project send part ii order request to the honourable laurel broten minister of the environment 135 st clair avenue west 12th floor toronto ontario m4v 1p5 contact the proponents at steve mota peng the regional municipality of york planning and development department infrastructure planning branch 17250 yonge street newmarket ontario l3y 6z1 phone 18774649675 ext 5056 fax 9058950191 email stevemotayorkca this notice is issued november 17 2005