The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Tree is a landmark Continued from page 1 3 · Thursday, July 29, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com The idea to designate the tree was first brought forward in December 2009 when Ward 4 Councillor Allan Elgar offered a notice of motion calling for its protection. At that time Town council directed Town staff to consult with Halton Region, whose property the tree is on, about possible options for heritage designation. In early June the Region filed a letter with the Town supporting the heritage designation. "The Town of Oakville's intended designation of the Bronte Road Oak Tree under the Ontario Heritage Act is completely consistent with the Region's efforts to recognize and preserve the White Oak Tree and we believe, serves to complement the Region's commitment to ensuring that the White Oak Tree is pre- served for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations," said Mark Meneray, commissioner of legislative and planning services and corporate counsel for Halton Region. In a report to the advisory committee, Town staff state designation of the Bronte Road White Oak Tree is appropriate for a number of reasons. The reasons included that the tree is unique and rare in that it is approximately 250 years old, it has value as a community landmark and it is connected to numerous historical figures from Oakville's past. James White, a sawmill owner, bought the land the tree stands on in the 1840s. The land and the tree were later passed to White's son-in-law Paul Campbell, who transformed the 315-acre farm into the most renowned orchards in the area. The giant white oak was nearly cut down in 2006 when it was threatened by a road expansion project, however, a call for clemency, spearheaded by area resident Joyce Burnell, ended with the road expansion being rerouted around the tree, leaving the tree intact. While this roadwork is now being done in a way that is specifically designed to protect the tree, alterations in the form of root pruning and branch pruning may be required to protect both the health of the tree and the safety of the public. This work would generally be done under the supervision and direction of the Regional Forester or an arborist retained by the Region. Routine maintenance in the form of pruning would be anticipated even after the roadwork is complete. DAVID RITCHIE / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER AT THE SCENE: Police survey the scene of a crash involving an OPP cruiser and a Mercedes that closed Trafalgar Road on Tuesday afternoon. SIU investigating crash The Province's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is looking into what led to a collision between an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) cruiser and another vehicle on Trafalgar Road Tuesday. The accident, which took place on the QEW overpass at around 11 a.m., closed Trafalgar Road in both directions for nearly six hours. The collision between the police cruiser and the other vehicle, a Mercedes Benz, resulted in extensive damage to both vehicles. The driver of the Mercedes and the two children she was travelling with were taken to Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH), along with the police officer from the cruiser for assessment. The extent of the injuries of those involved has yet to be confirmed. The SIU investigates incidents of injury or death involving police.