www.independentfreepress.com Raiders' winless streak extends to four games 50 cents (+GST) THE INDEPENDENT Local volleyball player nets college honour Circulation 21,220 Page 16 Vol. 129 No. 33 Page 16 Wednesday, November 1, 2006 36 Pages Voted Ontario's best newspaper INSIDE Council critic banned from Town facilities Page 3 New bylaw promises quicker action from Town CYNTHIA GAMBLE Staff Writer The Town of Halton Hills has created a new community standards bylaw that will reduce the amount of time residents have to wait for Town action on litter, long grass and weeds, icy sidewalks and another nuisance complaints. It's expected under this new regulatory system that complaints, that often took as long as three to six months or even a year, can now be addressed in as little as 24 hours to seven days. Nuisance items were previously lumped in the Property Standards bylaw that was designed to given property owners time to address the complaint themselves. But for issues like rotting garbage in hot temperatures or icy walkways in a public place, a three-month time frame for the owners is not acceptable before the Town can step in and take action. "Say it's a really hot day and there's a pile of garbage-- the officer will give the property owner notice of a day or two days to clean up, and failing to do that with the regulatory bylaw the Town could perform the work and recover those costs in the same manner as taxes," said Debbie Edmonds, manager of licensing and legislative services at the Town of Halton Hills. "So it's an expedient way of getting rid of a problem like that that could have health repercussions." Under the old system, the Town would have had to send out a Order by registered mail, that usually gives the owner at least 30 days to comply, plus a 15 day appeal process and so on. See NEW, pg. 5 REFINANCING? PURCHASING? Trick or treat at Town office Page 5 Editorial 6 Ted Chudleigh 7 Sports 16 Calendar 17, 18 Classifieds 20-23 FRIDAY... Local barrel racer Sue Collier will competing at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto this weekend. For a profile see Friday's edition. For breaking news go to: www.independentfreepress.com See ya later, alligator Colourful creatures of all sizes were prowling downtown Georgetown in search of treats from local merchants Saturday during the annual Georgetown BIA's Trick or Treat on Main Street. Here, Zachary Mattachini, 3, in an alligator costume, accepts some goodies from Megan Reilly and brother Matt whose mom works at the TD bank. Photo by Yves Desjardins APPLE We handle all insurance work. GEORGETOWN CHRYSLER Auto Glass® ·Truck Accessories ·Upholstery ·Heavy Equipment Glass ·Window Tinting 354 Guelph Street, Georgetown Georgetown Kia 1-866-364-2751 314 Guelph Street ( Hwy 7) *See dealer for complete details DRIVE AWA Y FOR JUST $ WW.GEORGETOWNKIA.COM 99 * 5.04% 5 year fixed BOB WOODS Mortgage Specialist O.A.C. (905) 360 Guelph St., Georgetown *Rate subject to change (905) 873-1655 877-1490