C hisholm (905) 84-1-3240 SCHOOL SUCCESS www.clm holm centre.com M ercedes Benz N O R T A Metroland Publication Vol. S M O S T A W A R D E D C O M M U N IT Y BEAVER WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2003 N E W S P A P E R 4 8 Pages $1.00 (plus G ST ) "USING COMMUNICATION TO BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES' Region eyes pay-per-bag garbage collection BY JASON MISNER SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Second Halton dead crow tests positive for West Nile virus By Jason Misner U fe J SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER A second dead crow in Halton Region this year has tested positive for West Nile virus. It was found in Georgetown Aug. 6 and sent to animal health laboratories in Guelph for testing. The results came back Monday. The region's first dead crow with the mosquito borne virus was found in south Burlington last month in the same area where Halton's first posi tive mosquito pool with the vims was found. Regional health officials, in the meantime, are awaiting test results from a dead crow found in Oakville. Crows are a good indicator of the presence and intensity of the vims and is a reason why health officials are still urging residents to call 905-825-6187 to report dead crows. More than 390 dead crows have been reported to the health department so far this year. The health department is looking to confirm the presence of West Nile in a dead crow in all four municipalities in Halton. This time of the year will prove cru cial in determining how widespread West Nile infection might be, especially among humans. Data from the regional health department showed last year that Halton experienced major spikes in the number of dead crows reported in the first couple of weeks o f August. That was followed by increased numbers of human cases a couple of weeks later. The first human case o f West Nile in Canada was reported in a Burlington resident late last August. Halton - last year's North American hotspot for West Nile - had 59 human cases. No one died, but many experi enced severe illness, like headaches, (See Region' page A3) How would you feel about paying for the num ber of garbage bags you leave at the curbside? Halton Region is investigating a pay-per-bag system to see if it might get people to reduce the amount o f waste they put on the curbside for collection. At Wednesday's planning and public works committee .,. . . . meeting, Halton Hills Regional because it could get people to think about how m uth garbage they generate, and ultimately get them to produce less of it. ,, , , "I think you want to encour· Halton Hills Regional age to reduce their Councillor Rick Bonnette waste," said Bonnette, also the chair of the planning and public works committee. "We've got to take a look at this. It would be a drastic change in Halton." A pay-per-bag system isn't new in Ontario as dozens of cities and towns use it in one form or another. In Belleville users must pay $1 for every bag left at the curbside. In Barrie, users can put out two bags but must pay SI for every bag thereafter. Halton has a six-garbage bag limit per household. David Miles, Halton's supervisor of waste management, said discretion is left with the garbage contractors about pick ing up excess bags. If it's a persistent problem, the contractor can issue a notice alerting the resident to the six-bag limit. If that doesn't work and the limit is still ignored, the con(See 'Landfill' page A7) I think you want to encourage people to reduce their waste. We've got to take a 3 _ look at this. It would be a drastic change for Halton " CouncfUor Rick Bo*netK asked staff to examine the issue 1 1 1 1 (1 bring back a report. He ?" ? the * ea isI H worth Purf " S Who should svt on environmental task force? By Kim Amott SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Should com m itted e n v iro n m e n ta lists^ given the task of writing an Environm ental Strategic Plan for the town, o r should the jo b be shared by people representing a variety o f sectors of Oakville? That was the question Town councillors struggled with Monday night, as they dealt with the formation of a task force that will guide the creation o f the plan. At the end of the night, council agreed the task force should include members with a variety o f back grounds, but noted that envi ronmental awareness will be an important criterion for selection. The 15-member task force, which will work close ly with a consulting firm hired to create the plan, will be established over the next month and hold its first meet ing in mid-October. The Town will be accept ing applications until Sept. 15. Then a council sub-committee, known as the Striking Committee, will review applications and select mem bers. Preference will be given to Oakville residents, with the Town ideally looking for representation from local environmental groups, resi dents, associations, educa tional institutions, service clubs, the Oakville Economic Development Alliance and the industrial and health sectors. The committee will also include some citizen mem bers who simply represent community opinion. While the Town's envi ronmental advisor Narelle Martin had recommended a certain number of seats be allocated to each of the dif ferent sectors of the commu nity, council decided instead to keep some flexibility in deciding who should sit on the task force. M artin argued that a diverse membership would allow the task force to tap into wider networks through(See `Task' page A7) Editorials.................A6 ArtScene...................Bl Focus...................... Cl Registration...............G Classifieds................ C6 Business................... C8 Sports...................... D1 Ful Ddfm r: lka C *a lo 0 L K Partial Drihery. White Rose. Akxanun Capet Sport Chide, Hy A ZeL IMtanHhnk TheBooster. The Bay, Stan, Sport Mart. Piease Hum. Home Depot. GenesisMassage Therapy, Cans (Support Y our local Carrier) CoUmr W P a rtM IM K rrn U U t t Him IV W iu u M q a Hocoltt, Sport Chert. SVLC Kota Ctuhvay. Stan. Canarian PutnicMona Ma* Product D E L IV E R Y *06-301 For home delivery A customer service call 19051 845-9742 Men. Tun. A Thin Vow i-6/m.. Wed A Fri 9 a.m.-8 p.m. or Saturday 10a.m.-4 pjn. For newsubscriptions. caO(90S1845-9742 or subscribe anbne 9 »ww.oak\illebea\*tcom Barrie Erskine · Oak\'ille Beaver JUST JAZZ: Alfie Zappacosta perform s at the C entennial S quare Stage on Friday night during the Downtown Oakville Jazz Festival. The three-day event delivered a w ide-range of talented m usi cians on five outdoor stages along Lakeshore Road and in six indoor venues. F o r m ore pictures of the Jazz Festival see A rtscene page B l. 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