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Project 80 swoops down on Halton Region By Colin Gibson - Graft, corruption, munificence - the fetid smell is now wafting over Halton Region - and in par- ticular, Halton Hills. Metropolitan Toronto Police Force, the Ontario Provincial Police and the York Regional Police Force created to conduct investigations relevant to alleged criminal improprieties of elected Project 80 i stig ave haees mie Chairman ed Penang, 54, with two counts of Breach of Trust and two counts of Accept a Secret Commission; Pomeroy’s wife Patricia Crimmins, 51, the region’s Deputy Clerk, with one count of Offer a Secret C ie lected public officials in Halton Region. O'Toole told reporters the pre- sent charges relate to the obtain- ing of properties in both Georgetown and Sarasota Fla. but would not comment further. The head of Project 80 also Georgetown lawyer (and Pomeroy’s former counsel) Herbert (Bert) Arnold, 42, with one count of Offer a Secret *Commission Georgetown developer Albert (Ab) Tennant, 65, - now a resi- dent of Dundalk - with one count of Offer a Secret Commission. The charges were laid, said Inspector Vaughan O’Toole, head of Project 80, after a “11/2- year investigation into allega- 4 + ‘ety.” Project 80 is a joint force com- prising members of the sai Halton region elected and non- elected officials is still ongoing and that future criminal charges, possibly involving other individ- uals, may be laid at a later date. ‘et a appeared discomfit- yy the charges and not fully- ne of their possible conse- ences. He said he has retained the services of a Mississauga lawyer but that “I feel many emotions right now because I ally don’t understand the basis of these charges.” mors of possible municipal impropriety started to surface Peter Pomeroy locally in 1989 concerning a par- cel of land in Georgetown south. The 21-hectare (54-acre) proper- ty jumped in value from $350,000 in 1981 to $11 million when sold in 1989 and local resi- dents alleged that the develop- ment company had been promised approval for water and services without going through proper procedures. It was simi- larly alleged ‘that the subsequent leap in value of the as directly tied-in with the back room promises. A Burlington Spectator inves- tigation in the fall of 1991 sug- gested that Pomeroy had a “loose business arrangement” with Tennant and Arnold that involved the operation of two Florida condominiums. The original “arrangement” was reported to have begun in 1987 after Tennant, a co-owner nce) and in addition, tax bills, utility bills and fees for both units were sent to the same address or forwarded to a post office box that was rented in Pomeroy’s name. newspaper’s investigation tevealed bills were being paid out of a joint account held by Tennant and Crimmins. Pomeroy might best be described as a ‘local boy who made good’ . A former Jr. B hockey player, he worked locally for Bell Telephone and owned a ig goods store on Main St. in of Meagan Di sub- mitted a al to build a 42- unit subdivision to the region. The Spectator reported that on March 25, 1987, Pomeroy pur- chased a condominium unit for $85,000 and that three weeks previously, Tennant paid $91,000 in cash for a condo in the same building. The deeds for boll properties, however, listed 14 Adamson St. in Norval as a forwarding address (Pomeroy’s local resi- rs for a number of years. He served on town council and after two years, was elected Mayor of Halton Hills. In 1983 he was elected region- al chairman by regional council and in 1985 ran unsuccessfully as a Progressive Conservative cannon in the provincial elec- ak accused are scheduled to appear in court in Oakville on June 22. . SUNDAY BRUNCH zx +e kk 232 Guelph St., Georgetown 873-2254 By Johanna Powell Special ivate company is planning a $10-million “flagship” indoor com- posting facility in Halton region. Equity Environmental Services . based in Woodbridge, Ont. plans to turn industrial, commercial and institutional organic waste into a dry, clean, compost product. The company will sell some of the compost and use the rest on its own sod farm on the 61-acre site, west of Sixth Line on the north side of Highway 401 in Halton Hills. A deal to purchase the property was signed late last Friday, and Equity now will be seeking confirmation from Halton Hills of the rural industrial and prestige industrial zoning needed for the project. Larry Hurley, Equity’s chief operating officer, said the com- poster will be “a flagship for future development of compost facilities.” It will be built with 100 per cent private funding, although Equity may decide to apply for provincial grants intended to encourage recy- cling in compliance with the province’s tough new 3R’s regula- tions.The planned compost facility would be large enough to take resi- dential organic material from Halton region. The region recently put me: a a5 for proposals for a private col to build a Halton compost facility on regional land, next to the landfill site on Highway 25, just north of Oakville. The deadline for bids was in April. One bid was accepted by the region and two other bids were denied. Halton Region Chairman Peter Pomeroy (now operating under a cloud because of Project 80 charges) had said he would be interested in any solution that would get organic materials out of the landfill site. But the difficult and expensive part of composting residential material is the collection, he said, and the region is looking for a deal that would consider the cost of col- lection. Hurley said Equity did not bid on the regional composter because the terms were too onerous. The region had asked for a $2 million letter of credit to guarantee any deal with a private comy Bruce Kitchen, director for design and construction for Halton’s public works department, said the al call was intended to gather information so council could make a decision “based on more than just estimates”. on whether to build a regional compost facility. Asked whether Halton would continue with plans to build a com- post facility if a private facility existed in the region, Kitchen said it was an academic question since one se not exist. However, if one re up and sae: council: likely would look at it, he said. Dennis L’ Ami, the general man- ager of technical services for Equity Environmental Services, said the company plans to have its composter in operation by next April. The company, a subsidiary of publicly-traded Tru-Wall Group, still must get approval from the provincial’ Ministry of the Your independent voice in Halton Hills”. Mega indoor composter set for Halton Hills Envir Equity officials say they have preliminary indications that provin- 50 cents includes G.S.T. cial approval will be given. They are using a composting process that Continued on page 3 By Oksana Buhel (yesterday’s) meeting.” prepare a resolution, which will Region asked to back Acton water need t Wednesday’s regional planning and public works meeting, Halton Hills’ municipal and regional councillor Rick Bonnette, urged his fellow councillors to “take a hard line approach wi Environment) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans at Friday’s During yesterday’s meeting, representatives discussed both depart- ments’ announcement that a further two-year study would be needed to determine the effect pumping one million gallons of water, already in the Acton system, would have on the environment. John Burke, regional administrator, announced Wednesday he would regional council meeting. Bonnette explained the resolution will be a strong statement recommending, among other things, me a higher level of government be involved in the decision-making proce: Bonnette said he was pleased with the table but irritated by the attitude of an MOE official. “What really angered me was when I asked Lammers (Wes special projects co-ordinator for the Ministry of the Environment) what would happen at the end of two years and he said he didn’t know, but that he’d be closer to a solution. We might be looking at another two- year moratorium when this one is up. Acton can’t afford that.” with the MOE (Ministry of the be presented at this Wednesday’s support he Second around the Lammers, 20% off GREEN FEES! Special early-season offer applies to the 18-hole ‘Turtle Lake' championship course. | Limited time only. Reserve your tee-off time up to 7 days in advance. | Challenge the home course of the Canadian PGA!! BLUE a eerie *, === pratt Ae 3 rata: hice are now available. 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