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Independent & Free Press (Georgetown, ON), 18 Apr 2007, p. 3

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Parents urged to fight for busing through an undeveloped ravine area where she said they would be a long way from any homes. "If any emergency should happen these kids A Georgetown woman is urging the parents of (could be) in grave danger," said Kase. She is also worried about speeders on Eighth Christ the King students in jeopardy of losing their bus service to attend the Halton Catholic Line. A petition signed by 256 people opposed to District School Board meeting May 1 to eliminating the busing was recently prelet trustees know how they feel. sented to trustees. Nicole Kase asks parents of current Halton Hills HCDSB Trustee and future CTK students who live in Rosanna Palmieri said a vote was taken Stewart's Mill, Arbor Glen and the affecton the busing issue at the last board ed Moore Park area to contact her at meeting and the outcome was 6-3 in 905-873-7003. If 30 or more people favour of keeping the bus service, howintend to go to the board meeting she ever, board chair Al Bailey ruled a 75 plans to arrange a bus to take them to per cent majority was required. the board office in Burlington, she said. Palmieri said she understood a simple The board is considering making ROSANNA majority was required and in the end the changes to its transportation policy to PALMIERI issue was tabled until the next meeting eliminate busing for the 34 students who live in Trafalgar Country/Moore Park on May 1 at the board office, 802 Drury Lane (at (Georgetown West) area and the 65 students Fairview St.) in Burlington, at 8 p.m. Palmieri said she agrees with the parents that who live in the Arbor Glen and Stewart's Mill busing should not be cancelled in West developments. In both instances the students have been Georgetown or Arbor Glen and Stewart's Mill bused to and from school as exceptions to the areas and will be presenting a motion to that Board's policy as they all live within the board's effect. "Some of these distances are quite long and designated walking area-- a 3.2 km radius-- especially in the bad weather there's difficulty according to a board staff report. Kase said her daughter, currently in Grade 10 walking there," said Palmieri. She admits it will be difficult to get all the at CtK, would have to walk 3.9 km to the school and when they walked the route-- 15 Sideroad, trustees on side, as the outcome has to be fair to Eighth Line, Maple Ave. and Hwy. 7-- recently all other areas in the region as well. She believes the board should undertake a during good weather, it took 62 minutes. She and other parents in that area are most review of its transportation policy and include concerned about the safety of their children hav- some flexibility for rural areas where there is no ing to make that daily two-way trek largely public transit. LISA TALLYN Staff Writer Built for speed Cynthia Davis, a Grade 8 student at Georgetown's Silver Creek Public School, guides her team's cart down the course during the Distance Cart Challenge at the 20th annual Halton District School Board's Technical Skills Competition. The event, held at EC Drury in Milton last week, attracted approximately 900 elementary and high school students from Photo by Graham Paine across the region. Temperature `excruciating' inside vehicle, officer testifies Continued from pg. 1 leaned over in court and said something to her daughter Kimberly. Bonnie repeated that behaviour a number of times throughout the day. Black said Arnott told them she needed to go to the bathroom. "She obviously seemed upset and very weak," said Black. She said Arnott was not capable of getting out of the vehicle on her own, and was "unable to communicate with us." They wanted to help, but were unsure what to do. She said the SUV's doors were locked and they didn't want to set off the alarm. They decided to go back to Kelsey's to see if they could find the owner of the SUV, but had no luck. She said her son and daughterin-law had gone to Wal-Mart to see if the owner was there, and an announcement was made over the public address system. They returned to the SUV and a Kelsey's employee came out of the restaurant, Black said, and was able to reach in and open the door of the vehicle. He provided Arnott with water. "She downed the bottle of water immediately," Black said. She believed they had provided her with three bottles. A 911 call was then made. Black estimated about an hour had passed since they first saw Arnott to been less than 45 minutes, but more when the Bouclairs returned to the than 30. SUV. Paramedics were the first to Steven Darroch, lawyer for the respond. Bouclairs, asked Black if Arnott had EMS officer Dave Parsons said complained to them about the heat. Arnott appeared to be "dehydrated "She had a very blank look on and a little bit confused" when they her face," said Black. arrived. Darroch also asked if they had Parsons said Arnott didn't want asked Arnott to open the doors of to go to the hospital but they wantKIMBERLY the SUV. ed to take her for her own safety. BOUCLAIR "It didn't look like she could Darroch asked if they were caumanage on her own," said Black. tious when making a decision on whether to He also stressed that Arnott had never take a patient to hospital. Parsons agreed they said she wanted to be removed from the were more likely to err on the side of caution. vehicle and that they didn't know what her EMS officer Ryan Kenti said there was a condition was before they first saw her. "decreased level of response" from Arnott "Because she was old and frail you con- when they asked her more specific questions. cluded she wasn't able to manage on her He said she was wearing a fleece tracksuit own," said Darroch. and long thermal underwear. Black's son Dan described Arnott as Kenti said Arnott's blood pressure was "totally out of it" and "very confused." slightly elevated, and respiration rate slightly He said when they were leaving to go fast. home from the plaza parking lot Bonnie Assistant Crown attorney Jim Coppolino Bouclair confronted them through the win- asked if Arnott's life was in danger being in dow of their car. the hot vehicle. "`Are you the ones who called (emer"Prolonged heat exposure can jeopardize gency services)? You should mind your own someone's life," said Kenti. "(In) one hour business,'" Dan stated Bonnie said to them. (you) may start to see changes in her vital He estimated 45 minutes had passed signs. The longer you're in the heat the more since they noticed Arnott, and when the trouble you're in." Bouclairs returned to their SUV. When Halton Police Const. Mike Cairns said the pressed by Darroch, he said it could have "temperature was excruciating" inside the SUV when he was looking for the ownership. He said police were there 11 minutes before the Bouclairs returned from Wal-Mart pushing a shopping cart. He said Bonnie asked what he was doing in their truck and where her mother was. He said he told her she was being treated for heat exhaustion. Cairns said Bonnie said, "`Oh, she's fine. I left the windows rolled down. You guys are just making a big deal of this.'" He said Bonnie told him to get out of the way and let her see her mother and she would get her out of the ambulance. He said she showed no signs of remorse or regret for her mother being in that situation and she threatened to sue police. "(She said) we should be doing better things like arresting impaired drivers driving through her neighbourhood," said Cairns. Darroch said Bonnie had wanted to speak with her mother and make sure she was okay but Cairns told her not to interfere with what the ambulance attendants were doing. Cairns said he was allowing the paramedics the "professional courtesy" to do their jobs. Darroch asked him if he had been angry. "I wouldn't say I was angry, I was trying to explain to them what they had done wrong. Most people wouldn't leave their dogs in that condition," said Cairns. The trial continues August 10.

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