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50 cents (+GST) Vol. 130 No. 50 Wednesday, February 27, 2008 36 Pages Circulation 21,220 www.independentfreepress.com Raiders take command in playoff series by dumping Brampton Capitals twice Page 16 Hundreds turn out to meet Leafs star Page 3 Driver chronicles experiences from Dakar rally Page 8 Woman killed while collecting mail Page 3 INSIDE Actons famous olde Hide House and its two other Toronto-area retail locations are undergoing a financial re-organization this week as a result of negative business variables during the fall of 2007. President John Brison said Tuesday morning that the doors for the three outlets will remain open for now as the North York-based firm Danbury Sales conducts a liquidation clearance of inventory. The Hide House has filed a Notice of Intention as part of a proposal to its creditors under the Bankruptcy & Insolvency Act, citing mild fall weath- er, a strong Canadian dollar and soft- er traffic levels at its King St. West operation in Toronto and a newly- opened showroom in Vaughan for the decision. Our core business, which is leather fashion-related goods, has a short season, and the extremely warm weather in October that affected all of our stores didnt provide the natural incentive to buy those items as they have in the past, said Brison. Another phenomenon was the strength of our dollar. We saw cross- border shopping like weve never seen before, and along with the increased overheads stemming from our expan- sion, it created a perfect storm of fac- tors that really blindsided us. We cer- tainly are going to do everything in our power to continue to make our business viable and promote that its worth the drive to Acton. If we didnt do this now and werent pro-active in trying to re-organize our finances, Editorial 6 Rick Bonnette 7 Sports 16, 17 Calendar 18, 20 Health 19 Classifieds 21-23 A Georgetown man is back home after reach- ing the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. For details on his adventure see Fridays edition. FRIDAY... REFINANCING? PURCHASING? BOB WOODS Mortgage Specialist (905) 877-1490 *Rate subject to change 360 Guelph St., Georgetown 5.64%. 5YR FIXED RATE GEORGETOWN VOTED #1 FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE 2008 KIA SEDONA FINANCE1.9% CALL THE GEORGETOWN HEADQUARTERS 1-866-364-0697 or 905-877-7818 Up to 60 mos 33 MOUNTAINVIEW RD. N., GEORGETOWN 905-877-6944GEORGETOWN CHEVROLET Available in 5-door or Sedan, 1.6L DOHC Engine, AM/FM/CD with MP3 Playback and iPod, Audio Input Jack, 60/40 Split-Folding Real Seat 2008 AVEO LS NEW 3.4L 185 hp V6 Engine, 5-Speed Automatic, StabiliTrakTM Electronic Stability Control System, 4-Wheel Disc Brakes with ABS and Traction Control, Power Windows, Programmable Door Locks and Exterior Mirrors, Dual-Stage Driver and Front Passenger Air Bags 2008 EQUINOX NEW Available in Coupe or Sedan, 2.2L 148 hp ECOTEC Engine, Auto, Air, Power Windows/ Locks/Mirrors, AM/FM/CD and MP3 Playback and iPod Audio Input Jack, Remote Keyless Entry, Cruise Control 2008 COBALT LT NEW Take advantage of our award-winning lineup, we offer very competitive lease and finance rates here at Georgetown Chevrolet. For further information contact our Sales Representatives ~ Norman John Crystal Jeff Rick For breaking news go to: www.independentfreepress.com Halton Hills award-winning newspaper Hide House files for bankruptcy protection A girls best friend Emily Wilson, 14, is reunited with Trooper for the first time since Trooper was adopted last June. Diane Wilson, Emily's mother, was the Upper Credit Humane Society officer who rescued Trooper after the severely malnourished stray was found last year. The Wilsons fostered Trooper until he was well enough to be adopted out. Emily and Trooper were on hand for Saturdays first year anniversary cele- bration of the UCHSs Thrift Store located in Moore Park Plaza. A fund to help other animals was start- ed in Troopers name. Photo by Jon Borgstrom EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer See STORES, pg. 3