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Minister promises quick decision on fate of unfinished corridor Ontario Energy Minister Reuben Baetz placed the fate of the unfinished parts of the controversial BruceGeorge town Ontario Hydro corridor at the top of his priority list after a meeting In Toronto Monday This Is my number one priority the energy minister told members of the Interested Citizens Group ICG which opposes the line and Ontario Hydro representatives at the Con Hotel Baetz fell short of com mitting himself to taking the issue to the provincial cabinet He indicated he would consider taking the matter to cabinet after he has given some study to the views he heard Monday and other Information In his ministry Former energy minister James Taylor took the matter to cabinet In December with a negative result I will get back to you with an answer for what we think are the reasons for the an Baetz said He strongly Indicated the answer vould be very very soon perhaps as soon as next Monday The parts of the line which are fully constructed are In the energy minister said after the meeting I think It gets too far down the road to stop once deals have been made with Individual owners and the towers are built said About people formers Ontario Hydro reps ICG ex attended the four hour meeting ICG executive member John Schneider Bit 2 Acton adopted a wait and see at tltude after the meeting If it possible for him Baetz to be fair what he heard will dictate a decision in favor of the people But If cabinet acts in its usual fashion we have a new minister of energy Schneider said What energy minister heard were many of the concerns of the ICG about the need for a study of an alter nate to the BruceGeorgetown corridor and the response of Ontario Hydro Of special Interest was the first appearance In public of an Ontario Hydro systems planner to answer technical questions about how the BruceGeorgetown corridor was chosen The ICG however found difficulties In extracting In formation from acting director of systems planning Ken McClymont Obviously you re not going to answer Schneider said to after the ICG executive spent several words in a bid to pry the systems planner from pos ition concerning the tlcallty of an alternate route Ontario Hydro s power corridor will if com pletcd stretch from the Bruce nuclear generating station on Lake Huron across southern Ontario to Continued on page 2 Proclamations galore It was proclamation night at Hills council Monday April to IS was pro claimed Dental Health Week in response to a request from HaltonPeel Dental Assoc March 29 was proclaimed Knights of Columbus day In town and April was pro claimed Cancer Month In keeping with town policy the publication of such proclamations will be paid by the organizations themselves Council also gave per mission to have the Cancer Society flag flown during their campaign month of April and had no objection to the sale of daffodils by the Cancer Society April 7 and B LIKE A FOREBODING giant this partially erected hydro tower looms into the sky in Erin township on Sideroad between the Third and Fourth lines The towers are being erected in Erin township while Energy Minister Reuben makes a decision on the possibility of re routing the line before it proceeds south near Acton Hydro towers reach No 24 One HundedandThl d No ACTON ONTARIO WEDNESDAY MARCH Th S x Pages Cents Construction of the soaring towers of the Colbeck to Llmehouse line has reached No 24 highway in Erin Town ship The towers are visible now from the highway 24 and several crews are working along the route The line will eventually convey power from the Bruce generating station to southern Ontario The Halton Hills section of the line ia held up awaiting an exemption from the zoning bylaw and permit from the Niagara Escarpment Commission The section through Halton Hills is the smallest section in the 109mile line All other sections are under construc tion There are 170 towers bet ween Colbeck near and and foundations are in already Hydro crews prefer to work Actons brief not dealt with while the weather is cold and they will soon have to halt construction when spring mud prevails along the route Access roads have been built from the regular roads to the locat on of the line Winter work concentrates on environmentally sensitive wetlands explains Paul Web ster of the public relations department of Ontario Hydro It easier for the men to get in and the land is not rutted possibly diverting water courses The towers are about 170 to 180 feet high depending on the land They are con with the use of cranes By spring copters will be needed They will fly the rope which will string through the arms of the towers Then this rope will be used to pull the wires BEARPIT WAS PACKED Friday at the world premiere of trough Acton High School Band The group consisted of about Requests by the Actonlans for Action Committee to have Halton Region examine the Internal boundaries in Hills has fallen on deaf ears The committee expressed dissatisfaction with the current town boundaries and specifically the matlon of Acton with Georgetown in the town of Hills Chairman of the Regional Bill 151 Committee Don Gordon told council last week that his committee had turned the brief over to Hills for comment We never heard back Gordon explained Following the meeting Hills Mayor Tom Hill said Hills council simply filed the brief Yes we got a copy of the report but we didn feel it concerned us There Is no action planned to be taken on that as far as I m aware Mayor Hill explained When the Hills Council failed to comment on the brief the regional review committee let the matter drop The contention of the Acton group that Acton should serve as the core of a town separate from Georgetown was ted Council rejects region inquiry dozen players who performed a number of popular tunes during lunch hours Education taxes up 17 with 861 million budget The average Acton home owner will pay more this year just for education If Board of Education approves a proposed mill on budget The overall take hike will be higher once region and Halton Hills budgets are struck The average tax hike Is based on an average assessment in Acton of and the education levy will likely go up four mills Finance chairman Fred Armltage noted the 86 1 million budget represents an Increase of per cent Last year budget was Ml 9 million but actual spending turned out to be million Three lectors effected the resulting eight per cent local tax increase Armltage noted the level of provincial support was reduced and is respon sible for six per cent of the local tax hike In addition there is increased assessment in Halton up about five per cent and last year the board took in two mills of taxes more than was needed The funds have been returned to the municipalities Finance committee used a number of guidelines besides an eight per cent local tax increase in framing tie budget Armitage explained He said the committee went about Its task keeping in mind there would be a responsible and realistic adjustment in wages and the pupil teacher ratio In both elementary and secondary schools would remain unchanged The board also abandons reserve funding this year and with few exceptions allowed classroom related supplies and services to go up Just six per cent this year while other increases were limited to five per cent The proposed budget main tains levels of funding for special education secondary school reorganization teacher contract com and capita equip ment replacements which had been previously ap- for this year by the noted fringe benefit costs have Jumped per cent In this years pro posed budget and while elementary school enrolment Is sliding fast about 1 100 pupils this year costs are still going up He noted for a board operating within spending ceilings costs must be cut in order to reduce properly taxes The finance committee has also recommended to the board that all agreements with municipalities for community use of schools be rev so more equitable cost sharing arrangements can be worked out In addition the committee wonts the board to consider cutting the number of teacher professional development days Implement a tracking system for exceptional students to see If costly enrichment programs are worth having and hire students through provincial student work programs to start forming textbook and library book readability tests for pupils While most of the trustee s comments were directed to wards specific budget items some did make general ob servations Acton Esqueslng Trustee Bert Hint on noted govern ment grants really de crease He pointed out the board w 11 receive more money from Queen Park than ever before Hinton said the only change Is the prov nee level of support t Increase as much as it has in the past He asked when the finance committee was going to get down to brass tacks and set out real spending priorities His question was left answered it wasn directed at a specific budget item was informed he can debate the merit of the budget when it comes up for final approval March 19 said the million budget was serious business and deserved serious public scrutiny Beardmore objects to subdivision Yet another call for an Independent study of regional government In Halton was rejected by Halton Regional Council during a regular meeting Wednesday Council was considering a recommendation from the councils BUI Review Committee For the second me the committee urged council to request a study An earlier request for an in dependent inquiry came from the for Action Comm Bill Committee Chair man Don Gordon sold he didn t feel the study was needed Councillor Carl agreed with that stand Erlkson said there was a dangerous trend that suggested the only way a proper study can be carried out is with the use of experts and bureaucrats carrying fancy suit cases Burlington Councillor Pat McLaughlin supported that stand We don need anyone to tell us our problems What we need Is the courage to go Queen s Park and sec that we get what we want he said Acton Councillor Pat said he supported a review by an Independent task force and noted that was the essence of a brief prepared by the for Action Committee Councillor said he opposed the call for another study and suggested approving another study would simply serve as an excuse not to act on the recommendations from the Bill study MUlon Councillor Jim Watson said he d favor an Independent study I feel we need a task force to carry our recommendations to reality he said The town bylaw to amend the zoning bylaw for the proposed Adams Court subdivision was referred to the works committee Monday night An engineer s report will be requested Council received only one objection from Beardmore Last date for filing objections was Feb 16 Adams Court subdivision would side on Highway 25 south the cemetery and Ransom St The construction of single family dwellings Is proposed Councillor Les Duby said he thought the drainage problem in this area should be Investl gated The concern about Metcalfe ravine in George town makes it obvious all such developments should be looked at he said I want a report from the engineer on the drainage system In Its letter ob jected to the from open space conservation to second density residential Reasons given are 1 Lack of adequate storm sewer system Present sewage system drains on to lands owned by us and in creased flow could result in of our plant being and causing damage to our machinery and operations The Town of Halton Hills Engineer also shares this view To prevent this from happening a storm sewer would have to be constructed on Main Street at considerable cost thereby Increasing our taxes for the benefit of a We are Halton Hills biggest taxpayer We have operated our tannery at its present location since With so much land available in the area we do not feel that a housing development of the Indicated density should be located so close to our plant 3 Access to Highway from Ransom Street Is very hazardous due to its location Just below the crest of the hill Past experience has proven that many accidents have occurred at the intersection of Kingham Road and High way where visibility in both directions Is much belter 4 From an aesthetic point of view it is a shame to have Acton s beautiful cemetery completely boxed In with subdivisions Market conditions in dicotc that we have an over supply of houses in Acton In view of the above reasons we believe and request that this space should continue to be designated at Open Space Yours truly Secretary Treasurer inside today Teacher strike Otto Allot a Guide at Tower Bailing EnuuoH ready for Crow country Pages Pages Pages Pagan Page IS PageBS Hon Mitchell Sharp to visit Acton Monday JOHN MAKES a point as he talks about the Canadian auto mobile industry with Otto who is seeking the Tory nomination for Halton riding Mr Vlietstra and Charlie Davidson both retired farmers were attending a question and answer period Saturday at St s With Mr Jelinek is his wife Lenta The Hon Mitchell Sharp will be In Acton next Monday from about 12 15 until 30 and a public reception Is being arranged Mr Sharp Is travelling through as part of the Liberal travelling caucus which Includes three cabinet ministers and three members of parliament David Liberal MP for York East will also be in Acton He will be at the high from 10 IB until 11 a Mr Sharp will be the guest of honour at a reception in the United church when sand wiches and tea wilt be served Local organizers are hoping a good crowd will take the opportunity to come and meet this distinguished parliamentarian Mr Sharp has been ex ternal affairs minister minister of Finance and deputy prime minister He is BA meet Plans for the coming year were discussed at the regular meeting of the Business Association last Wednesday The meeting was held in the Station Hotel with a small attendance presently the member for and the chairman of the procedures and organ committee of the House of Commons in Ottawa After lunch and meeting with Actonlans Mr Sharp will probably have a time left Organizers are planning what to show him in Acton Mr Sharp will come to Acton from Oakville and has to bo In Georgetown at that afternoon The travelling caucus Is the in a series devised to bring government to the people SUE TAPES UP the first dollar earned at the Mug at its grand opening Saturday evening A packed house enjoyed the completely renovated room downBtalrsat the YMCA More in second section of the Free Press