Wednesdsay November 29, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A9 NAFTA success spawns border crossing chaos B y M a ry C o lle tt SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER R i n a D i R i s i o .. S a l e s R e p r e s e n t a t i v e dir. lin e .* Lifetim e Resident o f Oakville royal mmmmm Le p a g e m am m m m $379,900. 8 4 9 -3 3 4 6 off.: «»..· 3 3 8 - 3 7 3 7 $289,900. Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., B roker % e - m a ih r in a @ c g o c a b le .n e t GORGEOUS! Just move into this inviting, and very upgraded home featuring hardwood floors, upgraded ceramics, bright eat-in kit over looks backyard fam rm with gas F P , nice backyard & great street! Call R IN A * 849-3346 The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) may be too suc cessful. At last week's Canadian Club of Oakville dinner meeting, U.S. Consul General Franklin · Huddle warned the success of NAFTA is causing serious traf fic congestion at U.S. Canada border crossings in southern Ontario. "The volume of trade between the U.S. and Canada is two and a half times what it was only 10 years ago," he said. Last year, more than 200 million peo ple and $447 billion worth of goods and services crossed the Canadian-American border, said Huddle. But the increased traffic has height ened demand on an already overburdened infrastructure of highways, bridges, and cross-border tunnels, concentrated main ly in the Michigan-Ontario, Niagara and Cascadia regions. Reported back-ups of seven miles or longer at the Ambassador Bridge, linking Windsor and Detroit, indicate that these congested border crossings are approaching the saturation point In an effort to resolve this major crossborder transportation crisis, the CanadaU.S Partnership (CUSP) Forum was established in 1999. CUSP was designed to promote highlevel dialogue among various levels of government, local authorities, the public sector and private stakeholders on both sides of the border. The need for increased border person nel and customs officials to expedite this rapidly growing flow of both private and commercial traffic is another pressing matter, said Huddle. Discussions are underway for plans to expand the Ambassador Bridge, and pos sibly "twin" the existing Peace Bridge between Buffalo and Niagara, he said. Since April, meetings have been held in a variety of American and Canadian cities. The goal is "to find ways to lever age resources and run the government the way you'd run a business," said Huddle. Though problems with infrastructure and hiring practices are always the most difficult to resolve, Huddle feels that CUSP is an important first step towards an amicable solution to unmanageable border congestion. "We had to find a way to allow the stakeholders on both sides of the border to offer suggestions, and have a sense that we were actually doing anything about it," he said. An overall consensus from these meetings is that customs officials and border patrol personnel should concen trate on high-risk candidates for illegal activities such as the smuggling of sub stances or people, said Huddle. Pre-clear ance cards for those who have met certain safety and security protocols would be issued, and a separate laneway introduced for those cardholders. This would expediting the flow of trans-border traffic, said Huddle. A similar program is already in place at the Samia-Port Huron border. M ATTAM Y `YO R K S H IR E '! Approx. 385 0 sq. f t Fabulous new gourmet kitchen, ceramics, french doors, den, (am. room with hard wood. Luxury master + jacuzzi, |extensive landscaping. Amazing value! \Cali R IN A * 849-3346 $ 4 4 9 ,9 0 0 . $219,900. OVERLOOKS PRIM E L O C A T IO N In G e n Abbey. Ideal re tre a t s e t b a c k fro m road, large cu sto m b u ilt s p lit w ith w a lk o u t b a s e m e n t R IN A * 8 4 9 -3 3 4 6 Q U IE T COURT! Gorgeous 4 bedroom detached home with lovely backyard. Updated home with hardwood floors, open con cept kitchen, new baths, new air & furnace, fin. lower level with rec room & wet bar. Tasteful decor. Call R I N A * 8 4 9 - 3 3 4 6 $ 293,900. CENTRAL O A K VILLE! Ideal fam ily home, dose to schools & shopping. 4 bed rooms, white kitchen, french doors, huge fam. room, fin. bsmnt, 2 - 112 baths '& incredible landscaped lo t R I N A * 8 4 9 -3 3 4 6 $ 2 2 9 ,9 0 0 . LARG E H O M E O N 17 0 ' L O T Original owners & w ell m ain tained hom e in College Park. Eat-in kitchen, 3 bedrooms, den & fin. rec room. Vacant and ready to move into. R I N A * 8 4 9 -3 3 4 6 $174,900. W ALK O U T B A SE M E N T ! Bright & stunning hom e on nice stree t 3 bedrooms, ensuite bath. Bright k it overlooks living/dining room, ceramics, gas FP & more! Call R I N A * 8 4 9 -3 3 4 6 $270,750. RIVER OA K S G re e n b e lt lo t U p d a te d w h ite kitchen. 4 bed room s, ensuite, fa m room w ith frp lce & B/ins, m a in flo o r laundry, fin. b s m n t G re a t value! Call R I N A * 8 4 9 - 3 3 4 6 C a ll R in a F o r A F R E E M a rk e t A n a ly sis O f Your H om e! Ho(ft*xjf PtfUiA Bronte Creek Provincial Park celebrates its 4th Community Christmas Festival from Dec. 9th through to Jan. 7th. One of the highlights of the festival is the trac tor-pulled wagon rides. Visitors have the opportunity to take a tour through the park, stopping at a variety of sta tions. The sta tioned stops fea ture letter writing to Santa and Victorian and nature crafts. The tour concludes at the Winter Wonderland struc ture where visitors have the chance to visit the tree dis play. C o m m u n ity groups and organi zations have spon sored and will be decorating trees in their own unique style, with all pro ceeds going to the Children's Wish Foundation. Park visitors will have the chance to vote for their favourite tree. Other high lights of the festi val include visits from Santa, and weather pending, our outdoor skat ing rink will be open in midDecember. Call the park to make sure the rink is open before making your visit Pre-registration for the wagon rides is required, and fees must be received by Dec. 4th and Dec. 11th, respectively, in order to reserve your spot. The rides are approxi mately two hours long and will run on the weekends of Dec. 8th, 9th and 10th, and the 15th, 16th and 17th. On Saturdays and Sundays, there are two scheduled rides: one from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the other from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The Friday evening wagon rides run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Cost of the wagon rides is not included in the park admission, and costs $3 per child and $5 per adult. Reserve early to guarantee your spot To pre-register call 827-6911, ext. 227 or 402. [Blowout I Prices l Z m -c A e tt A ftfA w A r V t P i W A superb long-needle tree with a luxurious profile. j The Smokey Mountain features light and dark green needles for a superb look. 7'- 993 tips. Reg. $299.99 jjj .9 , J 4 Let our designers custom create a holiday arrangement for your home or corporate event. Makes a great gift. 'eTe P ric e ... Tie** fo fA ieJc eJfOuT y>OietfeWi&-r, (ceeff on. tjioiectj. Garden. GfMeru fyrecJ feCec/ion. - cAoofe Presenting the Wyoming. A majestic tree with 2-ply light and dark green needles and a Ir naturally stately silhouette. JT 7' Wyoming Fir - 1279 tips f e o n v eoAufeC, fin J c f, r*-ar(?le o a riefieF Regular $269.99 Hk Ta(e Price , 7-1/2' Wyoming Fir Regular $319.99 Garden Gallery has a great selection of *1 Quality Canadian grown Christmas trees for your home. _ - _ ZcofcA P in e See in-store for pricing. W W eecA A tfo e v e d e ite D o t t ie r F ir a -.-/ F r * fr r F ir. Choose from Bunnies, Lambs, Bears, Koala Bears, Lions and Tigers available. 3h ~ C V r e fid fa Terrific quality-made of 173 tips. Green. Add decorations for a festive look. ^ I n fe r io r H o l& fe y Z e tv tc e f tffo** Detct+J* Your Ho-*r O r Office (V itf*. PatA W fh 6a(tery f Define Erfeeff. *Offer A fefretio*. Of OeecrA/io^f fvnfrorftJF ro * * * Arcusuf 7& e (Vcr& f. 6or+* /<K A & & ffe tjb ro o £ B a ft * J Ta A t To U f T c J fty f C o o e rf Choose from a variety of colours. 70 m m .4 7 DAY FLORAL DELIVERY AT B O T H L O C A T IO N S Earn 320.00 cash bonus A llf G , Ft W 1 certificate when you accumulate $400 00 in purchases. See In-store BURLINGTON 2241 Fairview St. DUNDAS 2s>4 RJ 639-7740 M on . -F r i. 9am -9p m S at. - S u n . 9am -6p m 628-8562 M on . -F n . 9am -9p m S at. - S u n . 9am -6p m for the GREEN £ comp(ete ^ Visit us on www.hollanclpdrk.com Save on our great selection of fun and traditional Santas.