J cbtSee what's Soccer youth shine i tloly Rosaiy School In s on the mnarket season finale losbc .I M 9 4 m inside rae IO at 50 years ae8 e ,~, *FAMILY IS WHY SaLTOWNEde YO D I A .umea, 5 8-8810 A METROLANO COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER VOL. 145 NO. 53 UESOAY, SEPTEMBER 14,2004 $1.00 (GST included 52 PAGES "Using Communication f0 Build Better Commurnties" Phots by GRAHAM PAINE Perisaps the.otfanu hockey dad, Walter Gretzky waa kept busy slgning golf balla dur- Ing FrdysMayor'a Golf Toumnament for the Unfted Way of Milion et Granite Ridge Golf Club. Ses more photos from thse event on page 7. -Province 's growth plan cornes under fire at meeting By MELANIE HENNESSEY The Champion Dozens of Halton residents voiced their thoughts and con- cems on the Province's recently- released growth management strategy at a public forum Thursday night. About 200 people attended tise meeting ibat looked ai the discussion paper, Places to 0mow: Beiter Choices, Brigisier Future, a document aimed ait siopping urban sprawl and focusing compact developmnent on il pnioriiy urban centres and 15 emergusg urban cenitres. Milion's core bas been lisied as an emerging urban centre, which means tise Province wanls future growts to be con- centraied in this ares, steering developers away froro agriculiural land and hansiets. Halion Direcior of Planning and Transportation Jane Clohecy presenied regional siaff's initial thoughis on Use dis- cussion paper, wlsich included a mix of praise and criticism. She said for tise mosu part, Use provincial plan is in sync wiUs Haion's approach to growUs management of exisiing urban areas, such as malclng sure new develop- ment bears Use cois of growUs. But, she said Use future growts area Usat Use Province has identified, a strip running across souUsemn Ontario Usai encompasses Halton, is unaccepiable. "TMe main concero is Usai Usey've identi- lied too much urbain land wiUsin Usose boundaries for a 30-year plan," she said. "There's really o planning rationale." Dave McKay of tise Burlingion Sustainable Developmeni Committec said he agrees with regional staff on Useir future growth area worries. "I have real concerus about Usese possi- ble growUs areas expanding our urban boundaries," he said. "Ai some point, we h ave to face limits - that tlsis area is to capacity." Hannah Evans of the Minisuiy of Public Infrastructure Renewat said thse Province is assessmng these areas for their capacity to accommodale growts. "We're flot suggesting that everythig in the (future growth area) be paved over," she said. She added that this area could take pres- sure off the need to expand turban bound- aries, but that may still happen down thse road. Mike Grimnwood of thse Milton Rural Residents Association (MIRRA) said thse citizens' group doesn't agree with thse notion ihat growth is necessary for eco- nomic success. Thse M1RRA submitted several pages of comments 10 tihe Region and tise Province that emphasize growth sbould be planned for areas outside soutlswestern Ontario, such as places tisai have a lack of econoro- see SEVERAL on page 4 Iside Comment.......... Champion Countr . .15-16 Claslflod ........17-20 BusInsu ........B1-B3 Dateline ..........B65 e e..U www.miltontoyota.com cSRuogsÇ www.gorrudaautogroup.com