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I I J Pressrun 21,900 32 Pages • since 1854 Amalgamated 1999 with clarington this week • Eagles swept aside Sports, page 13 £■*- Wednesday, February 20, 2002 Optional ^ "'51 newsstand 'Get it' in an Aztek Wheels Pullout Courtice resident killed in line of police duty TORONTO - Toronto Police Police Constable Laura Ellis, 31, a Courtice resident described by colleagues as a friendly and dedicated officer, died just after 5 a.m. Monday when the police cruiser she was riding in crashed into a utility pole in Scarborough. Const. Ellis had been glad to be back from her maternity leave but still longed for her one-year-old daughter Paige at home, colleagues said. She had just one more night shift to work before a few days off. When she and her long-time Courtice arena to proceed Indoor soccer to be phased in BY JACQU1E McINNES Staff Writer : COURTICE - More than -$11 million has been approved to begin construction on a double double ice pad - including one ; Olympic-sized rink - in south Courtice. But soccer players hoping for a new indoor facility in the complex will have to wait for that component - estimated to rcost $3 million - to be included. "We're disappointed because because we do have over 500 children children playing (indoor soccer) and we're running out of gym space in Clarington," says Sherry Sherry Bonazza, president of the Darlington Soccer Club. However, However, she adds, "We do understand understand budget concerns." When the new sports complex complex was first proposed in February February 2001, Joe Caruana, Clar- ington's community services director, director, laid out a proposal that included a twin-pad arena, an indoor soccer facility, a pro shop, arcade and public meeting rooms as well as future outdoor facilities. However, at that time 'the director cautioned not all 'parts of the facility would necessarily necessarily be included in phase one. Through public meetings, community services heard the public wanted the indoor soccer component to proceed in phase one, says Bruce Taylor, community community services manager who says, "We did tiy to include it." However, he adds, "the bottom line" dictated that it could not be included at this time. See SOCCER page 8 ACCREDITED TEST & REPAIR FACILITY •An «metal mark «F the Province of Ontario used under licence. Whitby - Oshawa 1110 DUNDAS. ST. E., WHITBY LOCAL (905) 666-1772 howba t partner, Constable Ron Tait, got the call for a possible break- and-enter, they had just a couple couple more hours of work. Const. Tait, 28, driving the cruiser, was seriously injured in the crash. He was removed from the car by emergency crews and rushed to Sunny- brook hospital, where he remains. remains. Const. Ellis, the first female Toronto police officer to be killed in the line of duty, was pronounced dead at the scene. Funeral arrangements have not yet been finalized, but it's likely a full police service will be held on Friday. The call they were answering answering turned out not to be an emergency, sources said, but was the sort of routine police work officers do every day. Because the Province's Special Special Investigations Unit, which probes all serious injury or death involving police, is attempting attempting to determine what happened, little is being said about the circumstances surrounding surrounding the crash. But it appears appears the marked patrol car was going south on Brimlcy Road with its emergency lights on according according to a source, when it collided with a Toyota sedan heading in the opposite direction. direction. The Toyota driver was trying trying to turn left on to Hunting- wood Drive. The patrol car, barely recognizable recognizable as a police vehicle but for the red, white, and blue paint and the unit number stencilled stencilled on the roof, knocked down a street sign, smashed into two trees and came to rest around a utility pole on, the east side of the street. The Toyota, driven by a Scarborough man on his way to work at a local gas station, was spun around and ended up facing facing south in the northbound left-turn lane. Scattered all over the scene were pieces of twisted metal, broken plastic, police paperwork paperwork and the officers' ticket books. Const. Tait suffered neck, arm and head injuries. Const. Tait has been on the force for six years; Const. Ellis five. Both worked at Scarborough's busy 42 Division. - Torslar News Service LAURA ELLIS Killed in car accident. Mayor sounds warning over council handouts Nowhere to go RON PIETRONIRO/ Statesman photo BOWMANVILLE - Bownianville High School's Mark Johnson (3), who had 22 points to lead his team, is surrounded by players from Paul Dwyer during a LOSS A senior boys' basketball game. Bownianville won 64-39. Suggests process be re-examined BY JACQUIE McINNES Staff Writer CLARINGTON - More than $66,000 was handed out to local community groups and sports organizations Monday as council made its annual grant allocations. allocations. Every year Clarington council council hands out grants up to a maximum maximum of $1 for every person in Clarington. This year staff determined determined the amount to be $76,000 based on an approximate population. population. But before debate began, Mayor John Mutton suggested the process of handing out money to local volunteer groups should be re-examined. "It has to be tightened up a bit. I see a lot of thin edges of wedges because the Province and federal government have cut back," and groups are applying to the municipality to make up the difference, he said. "In my mind that's willingly accepting downloading." The mayor suggested, begin ning in 2003, any area where the provincial or federal government have responsibility - through property ownership or school board budgets - not be eligible. The exception, he said, was funding to school associations for playground equipment. Council has traditionally given a one-time $700 grant for that purpose. purpose. The mayor added citizens' ratepayer groups should not be eligible for funding. But council seemed ready to accept those guidelines this year, denying grants to volunteers who have stepped forward as guardians of the Orotio crown lands following the provincial government's decision to stop maintaining the property. 'This is a perfect example of provincial downloading," said Councillor Don MacArthur. "Unless we want to start funding Darlington Provincial Park" and others, he suggested council deny the request. Orono area councillors Charlie Trim and Gord Robinson voted against the denial but were defeated. The Courtice Area Ratepayers Ratepayers Association (CARA) left disappointed disappointed after it was denied a See GRANT page 8 Native leader shares his culture with stones BY JANE MCDONALD the grandfathers and how each Staff Writer rock holds a lot of wisdom," says DURHAM - When Allan the Oshawa teacher, a man of Mountford shares his Native cul- Ojibwa decent whose Native ture with a Boy Scout Beavers name is 'Sounding Sky.' "By giv- pack, he always gives each boy a ing each child a polished stone, polished stone. they can honour what the grand- "We will talk about the grand- father is telling them through the fathers and how we see rocks as pattern or colour of the rock." That the children are intrigued Tnelfin understates their interest. But the iliMUv men and women who attend the i . Native Culture Centre's Tuesday Kkljv SWmrBtllflll meetings at the 100 Whiting Ave. offices of the Central Lake On- miuedc rn ciiin it tario Conservation Authority in WHEnc TO FIND IT south Oshawa would not be sur- Editorial Page 6 prised. Classified 9 "All through Ontario they Spnrf,. -jq know what we're doing in Os- 11 hawa, that we have a physical home for our (meeting) circle, GIVE US A CALL where we can teach and learn our General 579-4400 languages and traditions, and Distribution . . .579-4407 P vovide education and public n .. u „ roo onnc awareness," says Mr. Mountford, Death Notices .683-3005 spokcsman , fo ? the Native Cui- Sincerely Yours mre Centre. 1-800-662-8423 When it comes to languages, Web site traditions, education and awarc- 7,7'77 7' ' ' ness, Durham Region's First Na- durhamregion.com t ; ons s | iavc w ith Natives and non- General FAX . . .579-2238 Natives alike. The very aet of Newsroom FAX .579-1809 coming together is deemed vital by cultural centre members in order to protect and celebrate one of the most revered and respected civilizations known to mankind. Representatives of the Ojibwa, Ojibwa, Mohawk and Cree nations - even Inuit visitors from the Far North - have attended the gatherings. gatherings. "It doesn't matter whether it's Mohawk or Ojibwa," says Mr. Mountford. "One of our priorities priorities in preserving the culture is to learn the language." He explains there is a tremendous tremendous challenge for aboriginals living in an urban setting - as a growing Durham Region is fast becoming - when compared to living on a reserve. "If you don't speak the language language on a daily basis (it can be lost)," he says. "With language comes tradition. If you're not close to the extended family or to the Native community, it's not easy to live the culture day-to- day." The cultural centre offers participants participants a venue to share their own individual traditions, and also welcomes visitors from Native Native communities. Representatives Representatives from Curve Lake First Nations Nations north of Peterborough and See CULTURAL page 2 A.J. GROEN/ Statesman photo Danny Brant makes a traditional dream catcher, which is hung in the window of a room and catches negative spirits. The hoop brings cleansing and good spirits. NO DOWN PAYMENT • NO PAYMENTS • NO INTEREST -- / MOTORS LTD Chev Olds & Chev Trucks ■ 2728 COURTICE RD., HWY. #2, COURTICE -J U G U <J z < TORONTO LINE 905-427-4444 roynlcholsmotors@gmcanada.com ttt'i m m MONTHS (GENERAL MOTORS PAYS THE INTEREST) % Purchase Financing Up to 36 months ONLY CHEVROLET IS THE PROUD SPONSOR OF THE CANADIAN NATIONAL MEN'S AND WOMEN S HOCKEY TEAMS. CHEERTHEM ON IN SALT LAKE CITY on virtually all 2002 vehicles. 11 □] Goodwrench Service -WiLOntlme,