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THURSDAY, APRIL8, 1999 GRAP Rent help for cops Acton's four banks -- all which have a vested interest in a high po- lice presence downtown -- will be asked to continue their annual gen- erous donation to help pay the rent at the Mill Street police sub-station. When police were relocating from Church Street to the downtown area, then-BIA chair and bank manager Edna Perkons convinced her fellow bankers to each donate $250 for three years as a show of support for the police presence in the core. BIA spokesperson Janis Fread said the three years is up, but the one bank she's approached so far read- ily agreed to continue with the do- nation. : At a recent Council meting Po- lice Services board member, Coun- cillor John Day, passed on police thanks for the donation. Circus success Those who attended the standing- room only performance of the Acton Figure Skating Club's Circus Ex- travaganza on Thursday night will be happy to learn the little boy who taken to hospital by ambulance after falling face first on the ice, is okay. Tyler Christopher of Rockwood was skating backwards, holding hands with another skaters during their lion routine when he lost his balance and fell forward. He lay there for several minutes until his father dashed across the ice and scooped him up. Tyler needed six stitches to close a cut on his forehead. His Mom has offered to help with costumes for next year, suggesting that helmets VIN A might be made part of the costume for the younger kids. The Club left it to parents to decide if their chil- dren would wear their helmets dur- ing the show, attended by approxi- mately 600 people. Extravaganza organizers said the show was a tre- mendous success and promise next year will be even better. Skaters to Sweden Here's hoping for perfect unison from Acton's Bronwyn Marshall and Jen May, members of the Canadian's silver medal winning Ice Image Sen- ior synchronized skating team, which is competing this week at the World championships in Sweden. Twenty-three skaters with the Burlington-based team, their parents and managers left Easter Sunday, hoping to improve on the team's fourth place finish last year. May, 19, and Marshall, 18, members of the Acton Figure Skating Club, joined Ice Image after the Worlds last year. CF Skate Want to help a charity, get some exercise, and be entertained and fed all at the same time? Check out the annual Zellers Cystic Fibrosis skate- a-thon on Sunday (April 11) at the Acton arena from 12-4 p.m. The Kinette Club of Acton will help again this year by serving chili. The event, which raised approxi- mately $2,500 for CF research last year, will feature public skating, a silent auction, penny table and chili. Pledge sheets will be available at the arena or at Zellers. Pets enjoy their presents Dear Editor, All of the doctors, staff and espe- cially the animals that live at or visit the Acton Veterinary Clinic would like to give a big thank you to Dorothy Presniak for the beautifully crocheted blankets she makes for us. They make the animals' stay more comfortable and they also brighten up the clinic. Your generosity is greatly appre- ciated. Clinic Staff Editor's Notebook Cont. from Pg. 4 be called and candidates should be warned of the dangers on that well known trail. It concerns the exploits of Sir Toe Young, the Tory Mem- ber of Parliament for Acton. We quote: "This is a true story! A Tory canvasser crunched his way up the perc! drive to a large detached ouse. As he rang the bell he found his ankles snapped at by a yapping, small dog. An upstairs window opened and a woman leaned out. She lis- tened to his request for support and replied: "Yes, that's okay. We're al- ways Tory." "Thank you," said the can- vasser as the dog mounted another attack. "Kick his balls," the woman advised. "We don't do that sort of thing in the Conservative Party," said the canvasser. x "The woman laughed. "No, it's all right. Just kick his balls". ¢ canvasser screwed up his courage and delivered the toe of his ' shoe to the dog's tender parts. As he pulled his leg back, he saw two ten- nis balls lying on the ground . . . " Enough said. aye Tanner Hometown News THE NEW TANNER Monday, March 22, the Region of Halton together with the Halton Multicultural Council hon- oured the United Nations International Day of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (March 21) with a flag raising ceremony. The day commemorates the peaceful demonstrators against apartheid who were killed in 1960, in Sharpeville, South Africa. Respect, equality and diversity are the three fundamental Canadian values that support the United Nations International Day of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. From left: Region of Halton Police Chief Ean Algar, Region of Halton Councillor Kevin Flynn, Rajneesh Sharda, President of the Halton Chairman Joyce Savoline and Town of Oakville Councillor Ralph Robinson raise the UN flag My Websters defines myopic as "a short-sighted person". In the af- termath of the demolition of the old arena editor Coles used "my- opic" to describe our town politi- cians, specifically that Georgetown bunch..He certainly seemed .to hit the nail right on the head; or so it appeared. During the so called debate on the fate of our old arena, one of the objections to keeping it was that there wasn't sufficient demand for two ice surfaces. At the time I had a strong suspicion that there was a hidden agenda in the proc- ess. After all, at one of the origi- nal public planning meetings on the new arena, a then senior staff member came right out and said that Acton would "never" have two ice surfaces. That incident still sticks in my craw. That black night town council- lors (not the three Acton ones) voted to consign the Prospect Park arena to the trashcan I wondered why the question of the two Acton arenas competing generated so much debate. I have never heard anyone claim our council is a Mensa chapter but surely it was obvious that growth in Georgetown and surrounding ar- eas would create a significant de- mand for more ice time, I know that women's hockey would grow in popularity and add to the pres- sure on our facilities. Add to that the prospect of another 2,500 or so folks moving into the Acton East development (hopefully be- fore the 3% millenium) and you need not be a marketing genius to know that having additional ice facilities was a reasonable pr: sition. It seems I was right. I just had the location wrong. The New Tanner's publisher, Ted Tyler was spokesman for a group which wanted council to de- lay demolition for six months. The cost to the town would have been negligible for the delay. A few thousand dollars, at most, for in- surance and security providing staff didn't demand the building be hermetically sealed. The extra time would have allowed the vol- 'Fuh-lush goes your money | The Way I See It with | Mike O'Leary unteer committee to nail down re- furbishing costs and do some mar- ket research. Oh no, said council, off with its roof. Ifmemory serves me right, ini- tial studies showed the old building could have been refurbished for less than $500,000. New arenas cost mil- lions. It has been 14 months, or so, since the new arena opened. No doubt, it is a wonderful facility, but there isn't enough ice time,. Lately, there has been much debate about amalgamat- ing Georgetown and Acton Minor hockey and figure skating clubs. As my outdoors friends would say "that dog won't hunt". None of the peo- ple involved in these sports have sup- ported amalgamation. Perhaps the most ludicrous sug- gestion came from a consultant who observed that since we all live in the Town of Halton Hills""'it only makes sense that we combine our athletic associations." Talk about beating a dead horse. We live in Acton. peo- ple in Georgetown live in Georgetown. Even the telephone book lists the municipal offices for the Town of Halton Hills as being in Georgetown. But some consultant justifies lumping all our kids to- gether to cover up the fact there isn't enough ice time. No wonder the defi- nition of a consultant is someone who borrows your watch, then charges to tell you the time. Even more spurious is the idea of charg- ing children who live outside the town limits a premium to play sports here. Must children be penalized for the bad decisions of council? Now, however the thump of the other shoe falling is beginning to re- verberate. We do need another ice surface after all- in Georgetown. Per- haps we even need yet an additional rink in, wait for it, Georgetown south. We don't have money for the old arena. We don't have money to fix roads. We do, how- ever, have $200,000 for engineer- ing studies on the mayor's pet project, a leisure centre in, where else, Georgetown South. Of course the fact that a similar centre' in Milton is a toilet for taxpayers dollars will not dissuade our em- piric council from their grandiose plans. With all this activity in Halton Hills South (Georgetown) are we in Halton Hills North just being paranoic when we wonder why all the Georgetown council- lors voted against even consider- ing saving the old arena? Was there a secret agenda in that deci- sion? Just asking. O¢ Memo to Julian Reed: OK Pak, this is your last chance. I see where our Governor General Romeo LeDui is resign- ing. Before your exaulted boss gave Romeo this plum I wrote an impressive resume as to why I should be G.G. My qualifications stand. In the unlikely event you did not keep the original column, preprints are available. (A small handling charge is applicable.) Some think the next G.G. should be a woman what with po- litical correctness and all that. Julian, I have lived most of my life with four daughters and a wife. I know all the words to "Granny was a Girl Guide." I'm an honourary girl. You won't take any heat from appointing me. If any feminist type starts raising cane, my ladies will beat the crap out of them. The P. M. appreci- ates such direct action. No more excuses this time, Julian. I expect you to come through for me. I need the work. Just give me two weeks to rent a truck and I'll be there. I promise you, and up to five guests, great seats at my swearing in. Did I mention I'm really good at that? Swearing, that is. I would fit right in to a vice- regal job. If I don't get it, we will not be amused. See - I've been practising. /