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Your Hometown Newspaper Volume 9 No. 6 Thursday, February 9, 2006 THE NEW Newstand Price 40 + GST Address Local Toll Free Parts Hotline Email 357 Queen St. E. Acton 519-853-0200 1-866-620-3248 519-853-5613 info@achillesmazda.caServing Halton Hills with Pride since 1973 Rent-A-Car Daily Weekly Monthly 856-0000 286 Alma Street, Rockwood ILLAGE 387 Queen St. East, Acton TO ITS WORTH THE DRIVE ACTON MOTORS 8531280 VALENTINES SPECIALS AVAILABLE HERE INSIDE THIS WEEK Young Acton boxer strikes gold at Brampton tourney. See Sports on Page 17. Jim Milne, Veteran, business man and community leader dies. See Story Page 12. Michael Chong gets coveted cabinet post(s) Privy Council, Sports and Intergovernmental Affairs are all his baby now Tax hike reduce 4.7% Continued on page 2 Continued on page 2 The Honourable Michael Chong Intergovernmental Affairs is part of the Privy Council Offi ce and deals with policy in such areas as federal-pro- vincial-territorial relations, Aboriginal affairs, the evo- lution of the federation and Canadian unity. As Minister for Sport, Michael will also have respon- sibilities for Sport Canada. Sport Canada supports the achievement of high perfor- mance excellence and the development of the Canadian sport system to strengthen the unique contribution that sport makes to Canadian identity, culture and society. Commenting on his ap- pointment Monday, Michael Chong said Im honoured to have been asked to serve in Prime Minister Stephen Harpers fi rst cabinet as Presi- dent of the Queens Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister for Sport. I will work hard to ensure that Can- ada is one nation indivisible from coast to coast to coast, so that all Canadians from all regions are an integral part of this great country of ours. While I now have ad- ditional responsibilities, I remain committed to my primary responsibility that is to serve the people of Wel- lington-Halton Hills as their Member of Parliament in Ottawa. PRAISE FROM MCGUINTY Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty had some praise for Michael Chong when quizzed about the suitability of federal cabinet ministers from Ontario appointed Mon- day. McGuinty viewed Chongs appointment as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs as another good sign. The Wel- lington-Halton Hills MP will be charged with the thorny issue of the $23 billion gap between what Ontario sends to Ottawa and the funds trans- ferred back to the province in An off-duty part-time fi refi ghter out walking his dog heard a fi re alarm sounding in a Kenney Street residence at 1:01 p.m. on Saturday. When he couldnt get any response, he called for help and crews got into the house through an unlocked window and found there was no fi re. Its believed a faulty detector caused the alarm. Wire fi re Arcing hydro lines caused trees limbs to burst into fl ames after wet heavy snow pushed the lines onto branches in front of a residence on Fifth Line, south of 22 Side Road at 11:01 p.m. on Saturday. The limbs had burned through and were no longer on fi re when Acton fi refi ghters arrived on the scene. Firefi ghters notifi ed hydro crews of the incident. Faulty alarm sends fi refi ghters to Kenney St. Wellington-Halton Hills M.P. Michael Chong was sworn in Monday as President of the Queens Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister for Sport. The Town will use millings ground-up asphalt scraped off roads that are being resurfaced to help with short term repairs to Glen Law- son Road, a rutted dirt road south of Acton. At Council on Monday, Regional Ward 1/2 Councillor Clark Somer- ville asked staff is there is anything that could be done, other than just grading, to fi x the busy road. Engineer Rick Henry said the ground-up asphalt from the roads in Acton that are being resurfaced this year will be mixed in with the exist- ing gravel on Glen Lawson Road. What it does, it tightens up the gravel, so its a short (term) fi x, Henry said, adding that staff have also discussed resurfacing the one- kilometre long road, which would buy about fi ve more years of life. Glen Lawson Road is scheduled for reconstruction in 2012. Glen Lawson Road to be repaired By FRANCES NIBLOCK The New Tanner Town Council will use an unexpected one- time provincial grant of $82,000 to reduce this years operating budget and Town tax hike to 4.7 per cent, a 0.4 per cent decrease from the 5.1 per cent approved by the budget committee last week. At Council on Monday, Treasurer Ed DeSousa reported that although they did not anticipate any money this year from the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund, $82,000 was deposited in the Towns account on February 1. Calling the $82,000 unexpectedly good news, Mayor Rick Bonnette urged council- lors to use the money to reduce the operating budget and taxes. Georgetown Councillor Mike Davis sug- gested they use $67,300 of the $82,000 to open the libraries on Mondays a repeat bud- get request that has been narrowly defeated in past years. Regional Ward 1/2 Councillor Clark Somerville said as they debated the budget, there were a lot of items that they could have, and should have and might have put New doctor for Acton. See Page 4 Acton skater at Nationals See Page 16 MSB playground unsafe. See Page 9