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www.oakvillebeaver.com Beaver THE OAKVILLE N O RT H A M E R I C A' S M O S T AWA R D E D C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R A member of Metroland Media Group Ltd. Vol. 47 No. 38 Top Blades shine in shutout SPORTS MEDICAL CENTRE Walk-In Clinic 1289 Marlborough Crt. Across from Sheridan College QUEEN'S 905-844-8878 0 FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2008 % FINANCING ENDS MARCH 31st "USING COMMUNICATION TO BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES" 64 Pages $1.00 (plus GST) Provincial budget on the right track says Halton Chair Gary Carr applauds infrastructure funding By Melanie Hennessey SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER High flying Raptor Town passes 3.79 per cent tax increase By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Regional Chair Gary Carr is applauding the provincial government for allocating $1 billion to municipal infrastructure needs in its 2008 budget released this week. The head of council said the budget begins to address what the Region has been calling for through its Fairness for Halton campaign -- more funding for local infrastructure to help accommodate the growth targets specified in the Province's Places to Grow plan. It says Halton's population is supposed to increase by more than 300,000 to 780,000 by 2031. "We're pleased that the provincial government recognizes infrastructure is an important part of a healthy community," he said. "It's a good first step." The $1 billion includes almost $500 million for public transit in the GTA and Hamilton, $400 million for roads and bridges in communities outside Toronto and $100 million to rehabilitate social housing units, including energy-efficient improvements. On the public transit front, $57 million is designated for Halton to develop After months of calculations, delegations, revisions and last minute addons Oakville's Town Council is calling it a budget. The $181.4 million operating budget and $82.5 million capital budget, which represent an 11.9 per cent spending increase over last year, passed with unanimous support from council during Tuesday night's meeting. For Oakville residents these numbers add up to a property tax increase of 3.79 per cent with homeowners paying See Town page 5 Inside Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr a bus rapid transit line along Dundas Street. Carr said he wasn't too surprised about this funding, since he sits on Metrolinx -- an agency of the Ontario government that's striving to develop an integrated transportation system for the GTA and Hamilton. Metrolinx had already recommended the project be funded in the budget. But even if it wasn't news to Carr, he said he's pleased nonetheless. Opinion..............................................6 Artscene...........................................37 Sports...............................................45 Real Estate.......................................50 Classified .........................................57 Full Delivery: Dominion, Petcetera, Responsible, Canadian Tire, Smart Source, Food Basics, Longo's, Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills, Sobeys, Zellers, 2001 Audio Partial Distribution: M&M Meats, Living Arts Centre, Stone Link, Oakville Chevrolet, Ho-Lee Chow, Linens-n-Things, Rogers Wireless, Bluestone Project, Stratford Tourism, Price Chopper, Gino's Pizza, Home Hardware, Home Outfitters, Pharma plus, Fortinos, Maytag. Wal-Mart, Ridgeway Home, The Brick, The Barn, Toys R Us, Shop & Save, Future Shop, Shoppers Drug Mart, Best Buy MICHAEL IVANIN / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER SLAM DUNK: The Toronto Raptors mascot amazed the spectators with a spectacular dunk over a volunteer during intermission at the Fifth Annual Inclusive Basketball Game at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Elementary School on Wednesday. The event was hosted by the Halton Catholic District School Board in association with the Special Olympics and featured 99 special needs students accompanied by 32 mentors. See Region page 7 OAKVILLE DODGE CHRYSLER NEW FACILITY! NEW OWNERSHIP! NEW ATTITUDE! State-of-the-Art Dealership Drive Through Service Wireless Internet Access NOW OPEN 270 Oak Park Blvd, Oakville (Trafalgar and Dundas) 905.845.4211 · sales@oakvilledodge.com sales@oakvilledodge.com