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«SINCE 1854 • AMALGAMATED 1999 WITH CLARINGTON THIS WEEK • Pressrun 21,90(> 46 Pages Wednesday, June 5, 2002 Optional 3 wee' eg up on the competition Sports, page 13 Chrysler takes show on road Wheels Pullout Braden Gaffield (lop right), called 911 after fire broke out in his home, helping save brothers Evan and Liam. Young hero saves family BY JACQUIE MclNNES AND CRYSTAL CRIM1 Staff Writers BOWMANVILLE - A local family lost everything but what matters most - their lives - thanks to a 10-ycar-old boy who immediately phoned 911 at the sound of a smoke detector. Braden Gaffickl, the oldest of three brothers, came to the rescue when the Tucker Road home caught fire around 9:20 Sunday evening. The drama began when Braden's eight-year-old brother brother Evan woke up to smoke and opened his window to catch a breath before noticing flames coming from the corner of his room. He was running toward his father David's room when the smoke detector went off. Braden awoke, phoned 911 and took Evan outside. Mr. Gaffield, meanwhile, went to a lower-level family room to rescue rescue his four-year-old ' son Liam. "He (Braden) had rushed and grabbed the phone before my husband even had a chance to grab the phone," said mother mother Lisa Gaffield, who was heading home from work when she received the cellphone cellphone call about the fire at the home. "He didn't even need to be told. "Anything in a house can be replaced; it's a lot to lose but when push comes to shove all that matters was out of the house." About $75,000 damage, mostly from smoke, is estimated, estimated, says Divisional Fire and Emergency Service Chief Gord Weir. The cause is undetermined. undetermined. All the smoke alarms were working in the home but it was the "quick action of the young boy who alerted the family," that saved the day, said the Div. Chief Weir. "The fire was doused very See BOY page 5 Walking the beat Clarington cops to be more visible and accessible BY JACQUIE MclNNES Staff Writer CLARINGTON - Three new community police officers, officers, two more stations and a new way of doing business are part of a three-year-plan to make Clarington's finest even better. A village constable for Bowmanville, one for Cour- tice and another rural beat constable will be hired to pump up police visibility in the cores of those areas. The village constable program began a couple of years ago with the introduction of one to Newcastle and has "had a disproportionately favourable return on investment," says Inspector Tom Cameron. Now, the Clarington police department is looking at bumping up visibility in all communities as one more strategy to reduce crime and increase public satisfaction with the force. "We're looking at a problem-oriented problem-oriented policing approach approach that identifies and solves the community's problems," problems," says Insp. Cameron. Although the village constables constables may riot be able to "handle "handle all aspects of enforcement," enforcement," they can create community community plans for the force as a whole to implement. As well, that person will base with the community and bring in other resources as required required to help solve the prob lems before they require an emergency response. The village constable program program is just one part of a three-year plan, developed through consultation with officers, officers, the public, municipal officials and the school board, that "seeks to improve the quality of life in Clarington Clarington by improving the quality of police service," says Insp. Cameron. The plan also includes the use of a target team, which began its work this past fall, with tremendous results already, already, says Insp. Cameron. The team of Constable Keith Watson and Constable Robbie Robbie Antaya focuses its efforts on areas identified as requiring requiring special attention at any given time whether it's auto theft or youth vandalism in a specific area of the municipality. municipality. "They have been very effective. They target a problem problem area as opposed to a geographical geographical area," says Insp. Cameron. Also recently added to the Clarington team are two officers dedicated to working with the elementary and high schools. They arc working as a liaison with the schools addressing related issues. issues. The plan is to expand away from the traditional platoon platoon system where "everyone is responsible for everything and no one is responsible for anything," says the inspector. The idea is to give officers more opportunity to respond to issues beyond the acute emergency response while at the same time involving the community in the "crime control and public safety" • See POLICE page 5 ONTARIO^ DRIVE CLEAN •SERVICE • PARTS • NEW & USED SALES & LEASING EXTENDED SERVICE HOURS MON., TUES., THURS., FRI. 7:30 - 6:00 WED. - 7:30-9:00 SAT.-9:00 -1:00 ACCREDITED TEST & REPAIR FACILITY "■An olllilal mark uf lliv Vrmlmv of Ontario uwtl initier llvviivv. Whitby - Oshawa H onda 1110 DUNDAS, ST. E., WHITBY LOCAL (905) 666-1772 HONDA X- www.homin1.com Inside El* Statesman WHERE TO FIND IT Editorial Page 4 Classified 8 Sports 13 GIVE US A CALL General 579-4400 Distribution... .579-4407 Death Notices .683-3005 Sincerely Yours 1-800-662-8423 Web site clurhamregion.com General FAX .. .579-2238 Newsroom FAX .579-1809 Wanted: More doctors COURTICE - Rob Ivanoff takes careful aim at the basket during an NBA-style competition held at Dr. Emily Stowe Public Public School. Rob and his partner, Brian Jollymore, both Grade 7 students, had one minute to score as many baskets as possible. The event was used to help promote physical activity in the school. WALTER PASSARELLA/Statesman photo Hooping it up BY JACQUIE MclNNES Staff Writer CLARINGTON - Lakeridge Health Bowmanville hasn't been able to cure what's ailing it but the hospital is hoping the community community might. The hospital met with members members of council and local service clubs recently to brainstorm for a solution to the doctor crunch Clarington is facing. "Recruitment has to be looked at as a community initiative," says Chris Kooy, chief operating officer for Lakeridge Health Bowmanville. "Everybody was very positive. Most of the service clubs were represented. All pretty pretty much agreed there arc things they can offer a candidate." A task force is going to be created to find ways to market the area to potential candidates, says Ms. Kooy. "If we really got what we needed to cover off the area, the ideal number (of doctors) doctors) for us would be 10 to 12." Currently Clarington has 41 doctors active with privileges at Lakeridge Health Bowmanville, about 35 of whom arc general practitioners. Some of the ideas include setting setting up bursaries for new doctors to help pay medical school loans and to offset the costs of setting JIM SCHELL Wants partnerships to help recruitdoctors. up a practice in the community. "It's a carrot enticing people here," says Regional Councillor Jim Schell, also a member of a Metroland DURHAM - Reporters and photographers in Metroland's Durham Division earned a total of eight nominations in the highly esteemed Canadian Community Newspaper Association Association awards, to be presented next month in Halifax, N.S. Longtime Oshawa-Whitby This Week cartoonist Tim Do- lighan, a perennial nominee and award winner was nominated nominated for best local cartoon, circulation circulation 10,000 and over. I lis number of the clubs involved in the initiative. "The municipality can't provide financial incentives but service clubs certainly can and if it's important to the community, community, they would back that," he says. The task force may include members of service clubs, council, council, the hospital, the Healthy Communities Committee and also local corporations such as Ontario Power Generation and St. Mary's Cement, he says. "Those are the kind of partnerships partnerships we need. You put these people people in a room to come up with ideas in a blue sky kind of way and then come down to what's doable and then put together a cartoon shed light on the issue of not criminally responsible inmates circulating at large in the community. Oshawa-Whitby This Week photographer A.J. Grocn is nominated in the 12,500-and- over circulation category for best feature photo. His picture shows a dunk tank victim with his face tip against the glass. The newspaper has also been nominated for best community community service in the 10,000- package." Mayor John Mutton, who initiated initiated the plan, suggested it's a way to bring community, resources resources together. "When we get a new physician in town considering considering moving here, often the only person they meet is the real estate agent. We wanted to have someone someone who can talk to them, to tell them what it's like to live in the community." Ms. Kooy agrees. Although hospital administration can sell the hospital and its facilities, "they're the best people to sell the community. They can tell the physicians why there is a benefit of coming to our area." and-over category for the highly highly successful Durham Regional Spelling Bee, organized and run by This Week staff over the past three years. Reporters Jacquic Mclnnes and Susan O'Neill share the nomination for environmental writing in the 10,000-plus circulation circulation category. The duo teamed up for a 12-part series on waste management, an issue Sec AND page 5 up for CCNA awards I lxl-U'(H= i ÏWÜÜ ¥#liK«isTMEHT -- You choose the two NO CHARGE Items that best suit your needs. trididiitidledl Cortrifîdldtrsce Plan v N Year ItVI ai uteri a trace Package Includos: 3 oil chnnpos, 1 tiro rotation, 3x15 point Inspection /Security Package Silent Sentinel Tho system that pays you $5000 • $6600 If stolen Zsix Month or 10,000 Km General Motors Powertrain Warranty * Homo coMllllomi uppty. Goo onlotipoiuun lor Utilollo. 1999 GMC Jimmy 4x4 2 Door Cruliio, llll, powor window» 8 lock», nluinlnum whonlii, push billion .lx-l multi Cl) pluyeir 8 romoto nlnrlor, 09,000 km, 1990 Chov 1500 Pick Up Spoil:',Ida 300 V0 null),, A/C crulno. Ml box Ilnur, lonnonu iicvur, ninnlng bonido, UO.OOU km, : i: « » 1 ;