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IIU urvuvau-v IV! “I, inconvenience this may have caused. i!!!“ l U! “W vvv III-"run" In: I , ( Tou Fn££1(877)737-4603 RICHMOND HILL " _ It".maploroollngsuppllomcom Yin PROFESSIONAL ROOFERS SHOT) SERVING YORK REGION FOR OVER 0 YEARS! utilized. Already, the region is considering if Whether or not a 15-per-cent dis- it could be expanded to include other count is enough to make a difference agencies. 133:1 l4 Stouflwlle sun-Tribune I Thursday, Sept. 25. 2008 1488-9396333 www.cnnw.“ TN. m broom! I) you an undue! Thaw SUV/TM LET'S MAKE CANCER HISTORY “Research advances continue to stow" “We are on the threshold of a now on M am much. We're realty coan that we will beat Vcancer. u an In... rAfirre-ZiafiaITGi-f; cgdifica-t-e 1%mâ€"Ta-l'I-a y} fa-xij SI Hi?“ “"3 “WWW. manta-how CORRECTION NOTICE Asuhstimfionofequalorgreater valuemaybeavailablaPleasesee asalesassociatetormredetails. In the September 25th ttyer, the “Faux Ieamer espresso dining chair valued at $49.99” is limited in quantities due to an unprecedented demand from a previous event. A rain check will not be available. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have m|u|u1m Community agencies will soon be able to buy tickets for the Viva and YRT transit systems at a lS-per-cent discount. “When you’re trying to budget, you want to get the best bang for the budget," Aurora Councillor Stephen BY DAVID FLEISCHBR Staff Writer A new pilot program aims to help get homeless people and other itnder- privileged citizens around York Region 3 little easier. VTSA Plan gives less fortunate a break on transit fares book online: todaystaxi@rogers.com The region's finance and admin- istration manager, Paul Tobin, talked with policy and program support ser- vices director Cordelia Abankwa-Har- ris and her team and decided it made sense to start by helping the agencies Granger said. Mr. Granger saw the need for such a program when he noticed the Wel- coming Arms Ministry handing out passes to their clients. He saw a chance to make it easi- er for such agencies to manage their budgets while increasing. ridership on the region’s transit system. “Mare ridership benefits the region and it leaves more cash in (agencies’) pockets." he said: 905-642-51 1 1 0 3M Scotchouard - LOOSE BUGS - BROADLOOM o UPHOLSTERY (.6 fimousine who deal with homeless issues. “We always intended this to be a pilot of some kind and identified the groups who need the most help soon- est," Mr. Tobin said. “They know their clients best and we’re trying to get it down to the grass roots." “We really don't know what kind of demand these agencies have," Ms Abankwa-Harris said. Ironing out the logistics has been a challenge and the plan does not ofli- cially launch until next month: Agency representatives will travel to municipal offices to purchase the passes and tickets they need at the discounted rate. Those can then be distributed to their clients who need to get to jobs, other agencies or anywhere else they need. “It will definitely help us. We’ve been waiting for this sort of assistance for years," said Rehana Sumar, execu- tive director of Mosaic Interfaith Out of the Cold. Mosaic uses its own costly van to help clients get to and from shelters when the weather turns cold. Any- thing which can mitigate their over- head is good news, Ms Sumar said. The fiilot will run until next fall and then the results will be evaluated. “This really is a pilot to give us an idea what’s required on a small scale.” ‘ In addition to seeing how many tickets are sold, the region hopes to get a sense of how and where they are utilized. or Executive Service also available Stouflville and area Big companies, such as IBM already get such a discount when they pur- chase passes for employees. “This .is absolutely a starting point it can become something else,” Mr. Tobin said. is something the region will take into account. Every little bit helps and if clients get where they're going, and if more people are using transit, it’s a win-win, Mr. Granger said. Measures of success include how many participants there are as well as the costs and benefits. WHO’S ON BOARD Some participating agen- cles: ? MOSAIC interfaith, Out of the COM D Sandgate Women’s Shelter of Georgna D Leeder Place Emergency Family Shelter, D The Welcoming Arms Min- istry. b Yellow Brick House D Inn from the Cold D Newmarket Youth Shelter