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Whitby Free Press, 5 Apr 1995, p. 18

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Pope 18. WhIIiy Feue Prusa, Wochiosdy, ApuN 51995 Rae announcs aly start to 407 locall Dy11k owalski Contrctonof HiZ wy 407 CohrohDurham Rg1 n il h puhdahead by nearly haif a t, Premer Bob Rae ann ounced %giay that the ovnewili seok private sector mvestent to acclrateplanning sud design of the eastern, section of the 407 from Markham te Highway 35/ 115 iClarington. Work on. the 62-kilometr'o stretch ài* expectod te begin i twoyes and will cout an esti- mated $1,5 billion, Rao teld a gathering of ares, politicians at Duham egion hoadquartors in Whitby. 1When firet announced by the former àiberal gOvernmont, the notod.e «The irstý section of the 407 i. %q* kl becoming a' reality tu"l ubliria te partnor- -'ntirio now ha. the experienco te move ahead with the nextpart of the project. rigwid'Es complètes the The 0 'willho Ontaril'.first fully electroic teil highway. A consortium of compani'es -- Canadian Highways Inter- national Corp, - i. currently building the 69-ilometre'central section-from Highway 403 ithe wost te Highway 48 in Mark- ham. SConstruction is ahead of uche- dule, with the first section from '.Highwvay 410 to Highway 404 expeced te o en next yoar sud the balance of the central section te openin 1998. "e 407 East is an ideal iopportunity te have a. new look at what it takes for the private sector te finance a bighway,» said Ra.. "We)re open te dramaticaiiy new ways of doing business that wiii shoéw us te keop our (trans- portation) network at poak effi- ciency without'burdeming tax- payers." Accrding te Durham Centre MPP Drummond White, the sig- nificanco of Raels announcement should not bo undorpiayed. "You can't p ut too fine a point on iti» White toid Thoee Press. "This gvernrnent in committed te com -1 ngtho highway to 35/115 faser ad cheaper. Ulnder the previous governmont they were talking abiout the middle of the next century, he said. "Under a privato/public art- nership w. il1ae 30 ilion and acclerate construction.» White said the 407 -wili be an economic boon to Durham Refion. and surrounding areas and is a project that shoulId be embraced by everyone, regardiess of politi- cai stripe.. He noted' that Markham Mayor Don Cousons, a forme Progressive Conservative MPP, was presfent for Friday's announcement. "This i. not a 'partisan issue and it's hardly a pre-election piug. We've been workioni fr fouryears,u said White. "This will ho tremendous asset for the area. Wre taling about a second major infrasrutuefor Durham Pd gion.» Althoulh region, politicians were baskrinh the giow from the premier'. news, there i. a dark cloud on the horizon. The final route for the 407 which will run roughlyparaifil with Highway 71t4rughnorth Pickering and Whitby hofore heading east to Oshawa sud Ciarington, ha. yet te ho doter- mmned. Opposition from homeownors ini rural communities iying i the path of the highway was quito strong hi past years. tn adiion, Whitby officiais Arre'st after break A 17-year-old Dufferin Street youth w.. charged afler police repnded te an aiarm caîl at Kaheen Rowe Public Schooi, Athol Stroet South, around 2:45 a.m. Sunday. Officors discovered a window on the southwest corner of the building had been broken with a rock axi~d than spotted a suspect insido. The building wa. surrounded and a search of the school turned up a suspect hiding under some boxes in the furnace room. Ho w.arraested and charged with break and enter with i- tent. Vandalism- at school Grafitti was spray painted on four portables sud part of the Coi. J.E. FarewollPublic School main building sometime Frday evenmgxor Saturday.« Polfre say buildings were checked Friday and found te ho dlean but grafitti was noticed the noit day. Damage i. estimated at $700. have been at 1oggerhegde with Ministry of Tasortation bureaucrats over the route-for a propeedeigh-ano connecting link beteen the 407 sud 401. The mnistr wants the link'te run between Halls sud Corona- tion roads ini west Whitby. Town council prefers that the link, if itis togo ahead, bhobult along Làakeridge Load, thus caus- mng the ieast disruption 'te resi-. dents and aliowing more land te, ho used for develop!ment. . Whitby's opposition te the link was raised by regionai councillor Marcel Bruneile on Frida. "I congratuiated hlm (Lae) for bIgit' out t te hitysaid Brunie, "but tere is a 'glitch...tho;linkway." Bruneile said Rae promised that the govornment Wanted te rosolve, an y probieme' and stressed that both the highway, and.link are subject te an environinentai asseement. Both the premier sud ministry staff, aftorthe, Meeting, indicatod thero wouid ho flexliity on the issue, Brunelie added. " "But we've bebn diseussing, this for sme time," o om plainod. "They said 'wore listenin,' but I don't sam anything te ieu hope that; thore wii ho move-' ment.. "We've put forward eight dif- forent positions and they've rejected thom, all.» Howevor, Bruneile romains slihtly optimistic that the new emph a*m* on prôceeding with the ihway means the gÎvernment may h willing 'te soften its position. Durham East MPI> Gord Miii., whose ridini; will encompas. Most of the làghway i Durham, also hope. probim can ho avoi- dod. Mile anticipates a renewed round of proiesto, but argue. that "mre things havetob done for the comimon good and this i. ono of them.» However, "having said that, it won't be - my way- or the high- way,» hle promised. "There Wil be input during the environrnen- tai assossmentreview.» Miii. expecta -ministry lan- ners'to show sonsitivity miter docisions. "I uee morne flexibility i that if ai. a here or there allows a farm to, stay in place it. wiii hodone, but, obviousily you won't ploaso everyoe'hle said. "I dont think,!anyone wiil run roughshod over thern and I won't support',,ablind, buli-headed appiroachi. You cant do, that any- CLOCA <FROMPAGE 40 his, counterpart in Bari and <ws tl,"1%e bopst to the local economy was signficant." Barrie wili do it again thlis year sud.hopes to.attract, about 800 drweîrs. Thiey are, now an offic'iai s-,ltpon-,tho North Arnorican racing" >.circuit.ý Carnival conimitte membors said that if Whitby i. succossfu, itý may be'considered as a stop on next year's tour.-l' II, think its '.a wonderfui opportunity for 'the town " said east ward c9uncilior b0flfli Fox, adding, howover, hoe wants te - more ifrmtOn from the carnival committee before making his finai decision. 'ý< Batten, said-that there wiil be sBeveral age c ategorios snd different classes of raers. They ho pe to, bring in about 200 te 300racers.1, -'

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