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Whitby Free Press, 28 Feb 1996, p. 3

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Whhtby Free Promu, Wednesclay, Februay 28, 199M.Page 3 Items from Whitby council agenda MndayJebra , Recommendations from the operations conimittee That a $5.03-mIIlon tender tram Dagmar Construction Inc. of Markham for construction of a bridge and roadway underpa ss at the Canadian Pacifio rallways tracks on Gardon Street b. accepted. subject ta approval of the Ontario Nlnlstry Of Transportation, the National Transportation Association 0f Canada, CP Rail arnd Durham Reglon. Dagmar's tender accounts for the bulk of the long-awated projecVs slghtly more than $7 million cost. Other expenses Include contlngency albowances, engineering desgn and property acquisition. Fundlng wlil be shared by the Town, Durham Region, CP Rail and the federal and provincial govornments. Work ls expected ta begin ln mld-April and b.coemplotod by Oct. 31, 1997. The portion of Garden Street affected by construction will be closed ta trafflc for the duration. Carrled That a bylawbbru t forward ta require the installation of smoke alrams ln aIl dwelling units, rogardless 0f when they were buift, ln Whitby, effective May 1. Carried That the Town treasurer be authorlzed ta introduce a monthly pre-authorlzed payment -plan for the remittance of residential, business, commercial Mnd industrial taxes effective June 1. The processing oestof this system la 15 cents per payýmnwhich will be charged ta participants. Carrled That arvai be given ta an amendment ta the permanent sign bylaw banning large outdoor (poster panel) slgns ln rural areas. The slgns are currently permltted on vacant lots within agriculture zones and an railway lands. Counci decided earlier that the slgns Ooentrlbute ta roadslde clutter in rural areasu and directed the planning department to draft a bylaw banning them iln agriculture zones. The new bylaw would stilI permit them on rallroad Ines but only at rallway/street crossings, wlth na more than on. sign per street frontage. Cwried Sehool now has a nam-ixe By Mark Reesor The unnamed Anderson elementary sehool is unnamed no longer. The controversial new school, now under construction behind Anderson CVI, will now ho known as the C.E. Broughton, Public School. Braughton owned the land on which the school is being bufit from 1910 to 1956 and served on Whitby town council around 1929. Ho was in the Royal Air Force during World War 4, worked for. the Ontario and federal departrnents of agriculture and served on several boards. SEE PAGE 16 because of Garden Sfret CIOsia Sepage 16 THIRTEEN PARENTS picketed outside the present schools and want the board to lot new elementary school being constructed them slay put. Whitby trustee Douig Ross behind Anderson CVI Frlday morning. The -showed Up to lend his supprt to the group. group says their children are happy in their Photo by Mrk Reuor, WNIby Free PrmI Paliadini proposai rejected Worona family continues fight for truckc safety ByMike Kowalski One year after losing her in a freak highway accident, the family of Angela Worona is still waiting for the Ontario government to get "oserlous" about truck safety. Theresa Worona, sister of the Whitby woman killed by a flying truck wheel in January 1995, disnisses the latest proposal t corne from Transportation Minister AI Palladini. Worona, feels that Palladini's plan ta increase licence demerit points of truck drivers guilty of "non-moving violations" will only penalize the drivera. Trucking companies and owners will not ho affected, Worona dlaims, and drivera who refuse ta take out potentiaily dangerous rigs could' risk losing their jobs, she charges. A spokesperson for Palladini, however, points out that the proposaI is merely part of a package of tough measures ta ho introducéd over thé next year that will clamp down on drivers and companies alike. 'This ta nothing significant that will affect the béhaviour of companies," said Worona of the demerit scheme. "Ites the companies that are net maintainingthe trucks," she said. "Penalizing aur drivers won't affect U.S. or Quebec trucks. The responsibility still doesn't corne back ta the owners of compantes with unsafe rigs." Worona dlaims only the drivers will suifer when the demerit proposa! is enacted, either through loss of licence or employment. "If they say 'we won't drive,' thon they'll (companies) get someone else," she said. "And if it goes against their driver's licence, then what we're doing is putting more people out of work. lnm surprised that hé (Palladini) thought this was something good." Last Octohor, a coroner's8 jury" probing the deatha of Angéla Worena and James Tyrrell of Mississauga, who was killed in a sirnilar accident, made 31 recommendations ta, improve truck safety, including higher fines, more stringent maintenance regulations and more frequent inspection. The recommendations paralled- mnany of the Worona family's own demanda during the monthé that- they collected 30i,000 names on a potition,,whlch was prçsented 1%, the Ontarlo legilature ,ýlait November. Worona noted that Pailadini has promised ta increase fines for example, but Attorney-General Charles Harnick has yet ta bring forward the necessary legislation. "Ho keepa saying ho will ho increasing fines and that's great," she said. "But we want Charles Harnick to say what AI Palladini's saying." A spokesperson for Harnick was not available for comment. Palladini's pross officer Karen Gardon said the démenit points proposaI for "non-moving violations" is part of a series of short, medium and long-term measures the minister announced last faîl. "What we're looking for ia an approach that hits both drivers and owners," said Gordon. "We want to hit owners with fines and say ta, the drivers 'don't drive bad trucks'," she said. Gardon said thé proposai shauld be implemented within the next three manitha, but it will take a littie langer for higher fines. 'We're working with thé attorney-general's miinistry ta look for the best way ta go about it, 50 it's not part of thé, cast of doing business, but a real deterrent," she explained. As for Worona's fear- that drivers could ho fired for refiising ta operate unsafe vehiclea, Gardon said that is a labour issue which Palladini ta not prepared ta, comment on at this time. Meanwhile, Worona was not surpnised by thé results of an Ontarioa-Provincial Police truck safety 'blitz" in Pickering last month. During the two-day blitz which coincidod with thé anniversary of Angela's accident, 102 trucks were inspected, of which 75 taken out of service. Police laid 74 Highway Trafice Act charges and issued 87 warnings. Among thé rige. prevented from resumning its journey until defective brakes and a fiat tire were corrected, was a diesel fuel tanker owned by Tudhorie Cartage of Parry Sound. Vicici Eves, whose husband Ernie ia Ontario's deputy-premior and finance mini«ster, la vice-president of the famnily-run compony*. The nuùter hfinself no longer bas a- financiai intoreat in the firm. n ièm nover isurprted," aad Worona. "If you have a poor stem ln terma of regulations, of course It will ho abused," she said. "Vie have ta get thé, public ta stand up and say this la not acceptable. If the trucking industryis unable ta self-regulate, the goverrnment must do it." Sgt. Mark Wolfe, of the OPPas Greater Toronto Region Traffic Team said the 73.5 par cent detention rate from thé blitz shouîd not ho construéd as meaning that nearly three-quarters of al .trucks are défective. 'Thé most important thing about tusa blltz is that we. were selective," said Wolfe. I tald my officers ta look for FORTUNE FlýN A N CI1A L This R.R.,P..Season Cail A Professional! trucks that laoked unsafe," ho said. Despite ail the. publiclty the issue has recaïved in the. paat year, thé figures do not surprise Wolfe. "I don7t sée any change and rve been- doing it since. 1991. I don't 50é anything different," ho said. However, Wolfe ndteýd that companues which have always operated safe vehicles are even more cautious. 'They caUl us for officérs ta corne apeak ta them about any changes. and new rules," he said. "StilI, there are guys eut there that don't cars."e Stressing that he was flot spealcing for thé OPP, Wolfe adniitted that "myseif and my, officers are frustrated." 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