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THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2005 Injury to 'Gracie' couple's final straw... Continued from page 1 to move out of Acton to a property in the country. "Our quality of life here has been diminished. We' re living in fear. We have to put gates up. We had to board up our back (yard) to stop the kids and we've had enough," Bissonnette said. Bissonnette, a correc- tional officer for 28 years, said she was an inner-city kid who moved to Missis- sauga, and then Acton when 0 es HALTON slib Ds Working Togeth nal Wo alte BID DOCUMENT Ta aa Bids are being received by. the Manager of Purchasing, Town of Halton Hills for: The operation of an ARENA PRO-SHOP &° SKATE SHARPENING SERVICE at the Acton Arena and /or Mold-Masters SportsPlex. Bid documents can be obtained from the Town of Halton Hills, Finance Department, 1 Halton Hills Drive, Halton Hills (Georgetown),ON L7G 5G2. Completed bids will be received until 2:00 p.m. local time on Thursday, June 2, 2005. Those interested are requested to contact the respective Arena Supervisors to make arrangements to view the premises. Acton Arena Mold-Masters SportsPlex 519-853-0020 905-877-8488 Under no circumstances will late submissions be accepted. Highest or any bid not necessarily accepted. 1 Halton Hills Drive ,Halton Hills, Ontario the "city caught up with us theres: They picked Acton, after checking the crime rate, because it was a "nice quiet small little town." "Well, the city has caught up with us, and the town is going to hell in a hand basket. It is. It's terrible... the kids are running loose, there's no respect or regard for anybody's property or themselves," Bissonnette 35 Guelph Street Georgetown,Ontario L7G 4A8 ALYLIINIG PLL! MADAGASCAR Day 6:45-9:00 Sat-Sun 2:00PM Star Wars Episope HI Fri 6:45- 9:20PM Sat-Sun 2:00- 6:45-9:20eM Mon THRU THURS 6:45PM THE LONGEST YARD Daity 6:45-9:00 Sat-Sun 2:00pm Starts Friday aa eae) OT ee Lr seciitied RL e at ea Rare een een (Up ae Le a es A HOME might get otherwise.' Come in today and find out more. § Scotiabank" Life. Money. Balance both" ™ Trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia CONSIDERING MAKEOVER? a The Scotia Total Equity" Plan. If you're considering renovations or major household purchases, the money is waiting for you right there in your own home, With the Scotia Total Equity Plan you'll have access to a number of borrowing solutions, including VISA cards and the ScotiaLine Personal Line of Credit, at much lower rates of interest than you * Subject to credit approval and property meeting our residential standards. * VISA int./Lic, User The Bank of Nova Scotia Acton Branch 36 Mill Street East Acton, ON 519-853-2420 Gracie is in pain said, adding she was awak- ened at 4 a.m. on Friday morning by two drunken girls who were beating each other up outside her house. "We've called the cops so many times. We've tried to do something. Paul and I joined the COPS (Citi- zens on Patrol) program in September, and we used to go out every Friday night and patrol with a police radio and report and it's absolutely ridiculous...," Bissonnette said. Two years ago, Bisson- nette said she called the police when a girl kicked her Basset hound in the face, splitting her nose. - "T got the kid and I phoned the police and held onto the kid until the police came and she was taken home to her parents and that's the last I heard." Bissonnette said she has seen children call out kindly to her three dogs as they pass by her yard on their way to Acton's four schools, and she has also seen them "tease them, poke them with sticks and throw sandwiches in plas- tics bags into the yard." While Bissonnette has no idea who threw the rock that caused Gracie to fall, she is convinced it was a student on his or her way to school, so yesterday she spoke to Grade 4/5 students at Robert Little School and today (Thursday) she spoke to the younger grades. She intends to speak to students at other schools, and part of her message comes from St. Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals who said: "If man does not treat and protect all of God's creatures with shelter, compassion and pity, then we will not protect anything." Knox Presbyterian Church 44 MainSt.N P.O, Box 342 Acton, Ontario L7J 2M4 In a world of change, come and worship the unchanging God. (619) 853-2360 Sunday 10:30 a.m. June 5: General Assembly Sunday - Rev. Gerald Rennie June 12: Communion -Rev. Ian McWhinnie June 19: OUGHT NOT TO HAPPEN (Genesis 21:8-21) June 26: NOT ABOUT YOU (Genesis 22:1-14) The other part ofher mes- -- sage is much darker -- that a common characteristic of a psychopath is that they hurt animals when they were young. "Hurting an animal is a cry for help and if you know somebody who hurt an animal and you don't say anything, you're just as wrong," Bissonnette said as she took a break from car- ing for Gracie, who will be crippled for life because of the surgery on her knee. Bissonnette said she re- ally doesn't care if she finds out who threw the rock at her dog. "What I do care about is that someone out there is capable of doing some- thing like this, so that's why I want to provide some education and insight that every action has a reaction and everything you do has consequences in life and if you're going to throw a rock at an animal, there will be consequences." Bissonnette said they had intended to retire in their home and had installed a main floor laundry room and washroom for their senior years, but they have to go. "| hate moving. I abso- lutely hate it, but we need to do this now because in 10 years we are going to be too old...and in 10 years this town will be worse than we can imagine." To turn it around, Bis- sonnette said it would have to start in the home with laws being put back into the hands of parents so kids "don't stand up and say you can't say that to me or I'm going to call the Children's Aid Society," and revamping the juvenile justice system that gives young offenders warnings and sends them home with their parents. Bissonnette said she doesn't feel that she is be- ing run out of town. "I'm making the best de- cision for my family. I'm picking my battles, and this is one I can't win." BGO) EB cck: 130 Mill St. East, Suite: #102, Monday Fri Saturda Sunday ~10am to 6pm ~12pm to 5pm Acton appointment for a RMT t « covered by most | Aealth insurance