Beaver THE OAKVILLE Voted Ontario's Top Newspaper Four Years in a Row - 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 CELEBRATING 26 YEARS! Voices of youth Artscene FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010 Between Kerr & Dorval YOUR FRIEND IN THE BUSINESS 175 Wyecroft Rd. Oakville 905.845.6653 www.lockwoodchrysler.com OUT OF INK? REFILL AND SAVE UP TO 60% (formerly Island Ink-Jet) Upper Oakville Shopping Centre (Upper Middle & 8th Line) 905-842-5600 refill refill A member of Metroland Media Group Ltd. Vol. 48 No. 20 "USING COMMUNICATION TO BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES" 56 Pages $1.00 (plus GST) Queen's Park Big tusk to shoulder power plant protest organizers rallying for support By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Town wants more time and answers HHS CEO says new hospital needs $200-M commitment now By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Can one demonstration make a difference? The residents' group Citizens for Clean Air (C4CA) is hoping a large enough one can and is continuing to call on all residents, from Oakville and beyond, to attend Tuesday's Queen's Park rally against the 900-megawatt gas-fired power plant proposed for the Fordowned lands of 1500 Royal Windsor Dr. At the heart of the matter is the pollution many believe the power plant will bring to the already polluted Clarkson/Oakville airshed. Others have safety concerns about the plant, particularly after the recent explosion at a 620-megawatt gas-fired power plant in Middletown, Connecticut, which killed five people. Still others have a problem with the power plant being proposed for an area that is less than 400 metres away from the nearest residential area. At a meeting held at the River Oaks Community Church Wednesday night, representatives from C4CA said they are doing all they can to make the rally as memorable as possible. See Chartered page 13 KAREN NEWMAN / OAKVILLE BEAVER SAVE THE RHINOS: Oakville resident Erik Buckland is getting ready to run and save rhinoceroses at the same time. Before he can run in the Virgin London Marathon however, he first has to raise money to help protect the species. He will host a fundraiser in March. He's pictured with his wife Elizabeth and a giant inflatable rhino. For full story, see page 11. Town council needs more time and more information before it slaps Oakville taxpayers with a $200-million burden. These were the sentiments expressed by Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, Wednesday, in a "I am really concerned news release in that council and staff can't which he called on even answer the public's the Province to give questions about the costs council three more months to consider because final costs haven't Halton Healthcare yet been determined." Services' request for a $200-million con- Oakville Mayor tribution toward the Rob Burton local share costs of the new Oakville hospital. Council is scheduled to issue a decision on the contribution during their council meeting on Monday, March 1, however, Burton has shied away from making such a decision arguing the costs involved are simply too high to be dealt with without more information about how the $200 million will be spent. "I want a new hospital for our community as much as anyone and I am prepared to consider a reasonable level of municipal funding," said Burton. "But I can't accept that this council has to make a decision to commit $200 million plus unknown interest charges without access to full costing information and without any certainty of terms. Local government cannot afford to conduct its business this way when we know these costs will be borne by our taxpayers." See Hospital page 3 The Budd family of Oakville is proud to announce the addition of Chevrolet to our fine group of local dealerships. We look forward to seeing you. The family business that service built. 547 Trafalgar Rd. at QEW, Oakville 905.844.2320 buddschev.ca