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

8 THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2007 Best Price, Best Service Since 1972 FAX: 519-853-1559 379 Queen St., Acton ON L7J 2N2 519-853-1553 1-888-833-8953 True travel Vienna 2007 Save $300 Per couple on any Vienna Package* Book By March 31 2007! Imperial Vienna 8 Days 7 nights Thursday Departures May 10 October 4 Flights, Accommodations, Breakfast, Transfers, Sightseeing tours. Toronto Departures: Prices are per person based of double occupancy. Applicable on packages with air of 7 nights and longer. Rates include the Early Booking Bonus of $150 per person. Flights operated by Air Transat. For full terms and conditions refer the Britain & Europe 2007-2008 brochure. Ont. Reg. 50009486. The splendours of central Europe 8 Days 7 nights 3 nights Vienna, 3 nights Prague, 1 Night Budapest Thursday Departures May 10 October 4 Flights, Accommodations, Transfers, Train, Sightseeing tours. An idea package for the independent traveller. Visit three imperial capitals on this exploration of central Europe. Travel by train and plane from Prague to Buda- pest and fly into Vienna. YOUR PACKAGE ALSO INCLUDES: day tours of Vienna, Budapest & Prague Train Vienna to Prague/Budapest to Vienna 1 Hour flight Budapest to Prague $1799 PP Dep. May 10, 24, 31 Additional Taxes & Fees $187. YOUR PACKAGE ALSO INCLUDES: day guided sightseeing tour of Vienna and Schonbrunn Palace, former summer residence of the Imperial family 3 day Vienna Pass providing free access to Vienna Public transport system, and discounts to the citys museums and shops Complimentary coffee, tea or hot chocolate with a slice of cake at the renowned Cafacher Vienna Extra Value: Welcome drink at the Fleming Hotel or coffee and tea tray at the Mercure Wien Europa- platz Trace the footsteps of the Hapsburgs. Vienna, an ancient capital of the Hapsburg Empire and home of the waltz, is city of glorious music, dazzle architecture, splendid cafes, mouthwatering pasties and delectable wine. Visitors to this magnificent city never fail to fall under its spell! $1279 PP Dep. May 10, 24, 31 Additional Taxes & Fees $187. Congratulations Jessie & Andrew on your engagement. Wedding to take place July 21, 2007. Love the Watson, Locke and McGillivray families Congratulations Lynn & Steve on your engagement. Wedding to take place August 17, 2007. Love the Watson, Hellinga and McGillivray families By Frances Niblock Dufferin Aggregates property and resource manager Andrea Bourrie faced open skepticism from several politicians about its plans at the Acton quarry when she appeared before Town Council on Monday. After providing a status report on potential expansion plans, and asking the Town to help select members for a quarry after-use advisory committee, Bourrie was challenged by Mayor Rick Bonnette to give him a comfort level that long-promised rehabilitation would occur. Something makes me skeptical. What makes your company different from other companies? Bonnette said, noting there have been many different rehabilitation scenarios over the years before Dufferin purchased the Acton operation, located on the north and south sides of 22 Side Road, between Highway 25 and the Fourth Line. Obviously, theres a lot of skepti- cism, and the aggregate industry doesnt always have the best reputation, but what sets Dufferin apart from others in the industry, I think that for starters, we do what we say we will do, Bourrie said, pointing to rehabilitation work at its Milton quarry as proof, and noting that as a publicly-traded company, Duf- ferin is required to set aside after-use funds. Some councillors were surprised by the possible expansion news especially since Halton staff had been talking with Dufferin since the summer and a joint agency review team had been formed and Bourrie made a commitment to Bonnette that Dufferin would not file an application to expand until after the business decision was made and that the application would be comprehensive and technically sound. Regional Ward 1/2 Councillor Clark Somerville thanked Dufferin for re- sponding to issues, but added, I am one who is skeptical, after hearing the previous owner promise public consulta- tion on rehabilitation plans. He asked if equipment stored in the oldest mined-out area could be moved, so results of rehabilitation could begin because it could be a hell of a long time before the public will see long- promised results. Bourrie said they want to accelerate the rehabilitation and might move equip- ment and a processing plant, and are also looking at a parcel of land between the rail line and Glen Lawson Road, where a trail loop could be developed in three to five years. Bourrie noted that Dufferins pro- gressive rehabilitation plan involved 30-hectares last year and they planted 20,000 trees. Bourrie said there could be a spec- tacular after-use at the Acton quarry, where the existing after-use site plan es- sentially calls for a dry bowl with simple side slopes and grassed areas. We believe theres an opportunity for a lot more than is required by the Ministry of Natural Resources site plan, irrespective what happens with a future expansion, Bourrie said, adding Dufferin is inviting 12 members of the Town councillors, staff, interested stakeholders and the public to sit on an after-use vision advisory committee that will begin work in May. *** Halton planning and public works committee members were expected yesterday (Wednesday) to close a gap in the Regions aggregate review protocol to inform politicians when pre-consul- tation begins on quarry applications so they are not taken by surprise, as hap- pened in Halton Hills with Dufferins potential expansion. That change is welcomed by Barbara Halsall, past-president of P.O.W.E.R. (Protect Our Water And Environmental Resources) who told Town Council on Monday that taxpayers need to know when staff are spending time on a proj- ect because secrecy leads to mis-trust of Council. A local farmer accused by tax assessment officials of op- erating a winery after buying used wine boxes for his veg- etables is this years MPAC horror story in Halton Hills, according to Ward Two Coun- cillor Bryan Lewis. Lewis recounted the story to MPAC (Municipal Prop- erty Assessment Corporation) account manager Greg Bax- ter who appeared before Town Council recently to update changes at MPAC, the organization that sup- plies municipalities with the assessment data needed to calculate taxes. That informa- tion cost Halton $5-million last year. It was Baxters first ap- pearance at Council since last Marchs scathing report from the Ontario Ombuds- man that said MPAC withheld information from taxpayers fighting their assessment and was not transparent or fair. Baxter said MPAC, funded by all Ontario municipalities to classify and value prop- erty for taxation purposes, to handle appeals and provide enumeration information, has fulfilled 10 of the 20 recommendations from the Ombudsman and now offers full disclosure to taxpayers prior to a hearing. In Halton Hills there are 19,400 properties with a total assessed value of $6.7-bil- lion. Baxter said adjustments to assessments will be carried forward to the next year; they will provide more informa- tion to property owners and improve communications and eduction. Last year, 314 property owners, unhappy with their assessments, filed requests for reconsideration and there were 163 direct appeals to the Assessment Review Board. Baxter could not say how many were successful when questioned by Acton Coun- cillor Clark Somerville, who said the success rate would be a more telling tale of changes at MPAC. The trend that we found is roughly half of those re- quested for reconsiderations resulted in an adjustment to the assessment and/or the classification, Baxter said, adding not all of the Review Board complaints have been scheduled. Somerville asked about assessments of people, who want to stay on farms, some in the Georgetown South area, where land is being bought by speculators who want to grow houses. Baxter sa id farm as- sessments are based on farmer-to-farmer sales, and the land loses the benefit of a farm tax rate when it is scraped for development. Councillor Lewis asked why properties near local quarries and hydro corridors in Halton Hills dont have automatic assessment rate reductions. Baxter said quarry-blasting impacts vary among quarry area properties and would be assessed on an individual basis. Baxter said they are work- ing on improvements with enumerat ion fol lowing complaints of errors and omissions on the voters list, which MPAC supplies to mu- nicipalities, after Novembers municipal election. He said MPAC mailed 2.4-million municipal enu- meration forms prior to the election and less than 40 per cent were returned, and discussion about requiring people to return enumeration and occupancy question- naires will occur. Thats good news for May- or Rick Bonnette whose father Lou, co-founded an Acton taxpayer group that fought for MPAC fairness who pointed to problems with the voters list issued by MPAC before the last election. Last year on July 31, we had people that were living in town for at least 30 years (who) were asked if they were a Canadian citizen and they were very upset, Bonnette said, adding the Town bore the cost of sending out 3,000 letters to clarify citizenship. Rehab plans at quarries queried MPAC official briefs Town on system