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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2005 THE NEW TANNER GRAPEVINE BRING IT ON Lyne Trudel at Ice Dream Art is ready for the cold weather with new ines of hot drinks, weekend Euro- pean brunches and more chocolate reats. Trudel, who opened the ice cream/ chocolate shop in May, hopes that the new 18 types of tea, five kinds of hot chocolate and the latest coffee blends will keep her customers coming back during the chilly months. She plans to offer an afternoon High Tea, featuring homemade pastries, sweets and deserts as well as brunches. Reservations, begin October 29. One lucky customer will win a $300 Sears gift certificate ina draw to take place October 3. APPLEFUN FUN Parents, mark October | at | p.m., on your calendar if you and your kids want to be entertained by Mike Hard- ing and his Applefun Puppetry. The all-ages, free puppet show at the Acton arena/community centre is offered by the library, where tickets are available. COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE "Move for Health" is the theme for this year's Community Open House, slated for October 22 at the George- town Market Place. The annual event, hosted by the Halton Hills Co-operative Program Planning Committee, gives local groups and agencies an opportunity to showcase their services or activi- ties. The open house also provides youths with a chance to connect with "youth friendly" organizations, and encourage volunteer opportunities. RABID BAT Two adults and a child in Oakville are receiving rabies vaccine after a bat that tested positive for the fatal disease was found at their home. The discovery of Halton's first rabid bat this year prompted Health Department officials to caution people to avoid bats and other wild mammals, and. report any contact, even if it does not involve a bite. The rabies virus also commonly infects skunks, foxes and raccoons, so officials urge parents to warn children not to touch or feed wild or stray animals. Pet owners are reminded to vaccinate their animals * against rabies and keep them leashed when outside. Bat rabies is fatal if not treated before symptoms appear, and that can be up to one year after exposure. HALTON HERO The search is on for a Halton Hero -- someone who demonstrated a special commitment to the safety of others 'during the past 18 months. The Halton Region Safety Coun- cil is accepting nominations for its Halton Heroes Award, an honour giv- en to Halton residents who "selflessly and courageously save or attempt to save the life of another person." To make a nomination, before Oc- tober 8, call 905-815-6058. STUDENTS WALK Students at McKenzie-Smith Ben- nett School will improve their health and the environment by taking part, for the first time, in the International Walk to School Day on October 5. It's an annual event for students, parents and educators at Robert Little School who want to show support for cleaner air, reduce traffic congestion near the school and encourage more - physical activity. At MSB, students who must be driven to school can walk from a drop-off point at the Acton arena/ community centre. Organizers say with one-quarter of Canadian children overweight and greenhouse gases increasing, walking makes good health and environmental sense. TWINS CELEBRATE Congrats Acton twins Ella (Mar- shall) Morton and Bob Marshall who celebrated their 89th birthdays on September 22. ' The twins weren't able to get together to celebrate before their birthday -- Bob now lives in a Burl- ington retirement home -- but family members are planning a party in the near future. CHURCH FUNDRAISER Sweet treats and good deals will be offered at St. Alban's Church on Saturday (October 1) from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Along with a garage sale and a bake table, there will be a car wash to raise money for the church. SIGN UP NOW Everyone who signs up for their first Halton Hills library card during October will receive a special prize, along with a free card that-will give them access to great books, DVDs, videos, CDs and more. An adult or guardian must accom- pany children to get a card. EK Library visitors during Canadian Library Week, October 17- 24, can enter a draw for a gift basket, and kids checking out Canadian books during Canadian Children's Book Week, October 29 - November 5, will receive a Canadian tattoo (while supplies last.) EVENT POSTPONED November 5 is the new date for a dinner/dance silent auction at the Mill Street Crossing (formerly The Station Hotel) to raise money for a skateboard park in Acton. Tickets sold for the October | date will be honoured, with refunds for anyone who can't make the new date. Tickets are on sale at the Mill Street Crossing, and from A.S.A.P.--Acton Sports Action Park -- committee chair Deb Fendley and Acton Councillor Clark Somerville. CORRECTION: Due to incom- plete information supplied to The New Tanner, Active Ears was not listed as an Acton Medical Centre tenant in a recent story. The Tanner regrets the omission. KNOW ANYONE? When rural schools were just one room. this photo as taken of student and staff of the Dublin school; on 22 Sideroad, just west of the Second Line, now Regional Road 25. Acton resident Mac Sprowl unearthed this photo form his collection while searching for another photo of Dublin School but nei- ther he nor the editor could put names to faces although both acknowledged several of them look familiar. If you can identify anyone, name the year and occasion call the New Tanner or drop us off the information. The images of death and destruc- tion we saw in the wake of hurricane Katrina were unexpected and unbe- lievable. Who could have imagined acity the size of New Orleans being . essentially wiped out and the human misery that followed. Last week, as hurricane Rita approached the Texas gulf coast we feared a repeat in the Galveston/Houston area. Traffic gridlock demonstrated the difficulties in evacuating a city of 2 million people. Although the human tragedy. is not something any ofus can ignore that's not what this column is about. But before I go on to my main topic let me ask you to consider doing something for the people in the af- fected gulf states. We are advised that cash is best and suggest you direct any donation, no matter how modest, through the Canadian Red Cross. Please mark your envelope and the "memo" line of your cheque "for Gulf States relief." What I want to comment on this week is the hosing you and I have been taking at the gas pumps the last few weeks. I was up north last week and was astounded to hear there was panic buying in Bancroft with some stations selling gasoline at close to $2 per litre. In Toronto panic buying resulted in a visitor from Manitoba being slapped upside the ear with a tire iron. This altercation resulted in atrip to hospital and there were oth- ers. We are being stampeded here by greed on the part of some and market manipulation by big oil. As Rita approached the gulf re-. fineries it appeared they would shut down and 20 million barrels of gas a day would come out of production. Supposedly, that caused the mini panic. I don't know who started that rumour but it's a pile of who-haw. Twenty million barrels is a drop in the North American demand. We probably use more than that every day in Southern Ontario alone. It would take a lot more than that to disrupt our supplies so would every- one just take a deep breath. time was,in ~~ We are being hosed! The Way I See It with Mike O'Leary The gulf area has had hurricanes before and you don't think the re- fineries down there were shut down for safety's sake? The difference this ne was in the aftermath of Katrina, hurricane Rita was a political and media event. While C.N.N. has some uses, stationing correspondents all over the gulf states to show how hard the wind can blow isn't one of them. -- Actually, if panic buying splurge occurs again my advice is the op-> posite to participating. | just stayed put. If business sees their employees staying out in droves they'Il soon act to bring prices back in line. Easier said than done you say? Well just think of the impact $1.50 - $1.75 per litre gas would have on your family budget. It's time to take.a stand. My garage guy told me last summer (2004) gas would hit $1.00 per litre. I told him he was nuts. Who's the prophet now? The sudden jump in price in corporate owned stations is purely greed. I give the independents a bit more latitude. With wildly fluctuat- ing prices independents may have to buy a tanker load in the future only to see the retail prices fall to below their purchase price. I understand them hedging their bets but not the corporate guys. Here's an example. As I came home last Friday I saw gas prices ranging from $1.10 a litre, to 99.9¢. That's just on one section of Hwys 7 and 35/115. Maybe a 100km stretch. Most of those stations are indepen- dents and are stuck with expensive gas in the ground. I seldom ask government to inter- vene in the free market system but I think it's time. Regulation should were ready to strike it rich in the ~ be put on the distribution price not the retail price. Distribution prices should be knocked back to at least the prices charged in the summer of 2004. Big oil was making big bucks back then. Who the hell do they think they are demanding more and more money? Banks? I have a theory as to why all the major oil companies started to move from Ontario to Alberta 25 years ago. Their long range planners, hav- ing fed us the line about expensive oil sands and offshore oil, knew they new millenium. Those execs were afraid the Ontario mob would drag them out to a tar and feather party while they would be relatively safe in Klienville. Out there they can relax in private clubs, and as long as they keep sending cheques to the Alberta Conservatives, enjoy the good times. Pretty crafty -- eh? Another thing that might help is if the birkenstock-wearing-granola- crunching brigade would lay off extolling the virtues of expensive gas. You've made your point about the evils of car exhaust. A point could be made that you should champion building more roads so traffic jams could be eased. But the other problem is that gasoline is not an energy vacuum. Every time the price of gas goes up the prices of home heating oil, natural gas, electricity, food (it needs to be delivered) etc. raises too. We need to feed and clothe our families so please give the higher gas prices mantra a rest. Politicians are starting to quote you. The oil industry claims the prob- lem is simply supply and demand. OK - lets help them with that. Lets stop filling our gas tanks. Lets start buying $20 or $30-at a time. Yes, it will be more inconvenient but think of the thousands or millions of litres that we won't be warehousing in our cars. Instead, all that gas will be in their tanks. Presto -- no more supply problem. cs Family businesses... Continued from page 6 Just down the highway from Acton Terminal Warehouse is another Acton long-time fam- ily business, Toth Motors, which has been Joperating since 1951. It now involves the third generation. The late Frank Toth started the business after time in the army during WW2, at Bill Norton's Ford garage, which was located where Alexanian Carpets is now, and later with Lorne Garner's. He was succeeded by son Raymond who along with his son Steve operate the business now on the Guelph St./Main St. N. comer where Frank built the service station. Although these two businesses have been operating for over five decades they aren't the longest serving family business in Acton. Ty- ler Transport was started by the late Ted Tyler Sr. in 1929 and is now operated by son Ted and family, again a third generation business. It's probably coincidence but the fact all three family businesses started as trucking compa- nies, or in Toth's example servicing vehicles, over five decades certainly speaks well for the service they provided as well as the business acumen required in a competitive field. With family businesses being gobbled up by large corporations and their uniqueness lost. it's gratifying to see there are some still able to function in a highly competitive world. Then watch the prices fall. > 4