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MUSIC LESSONS 9 0 5 .8 2 5 .8 6 6 8 www.musicisfun.ca A Metroland Publication Vol. 42 No. 146 O a k P a rk JVIedical C lin ic W A I K - IN C L I N I C H O U R S M on. - Fri. Saturday Sunday 8:30am - 8:30pm 9:00am - 4:00pm 10:00am · 3:00pm 2530 Sixth I.inc. Oakville 905-257-1006 $1.00 (plus CSV "USING COMM UNI CA TI0N TO BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES "________ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8,2004 56 Pages Councillors 7 ^ ensure residents can read about tax increase in newsletters By Kim Arnott SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER At a Monday night council meeting that one resident observer described as "almost surreal," local politicians spent nearly two hours debating $44,000 of a $175 million budget. Although the Town's 2005 budget will hike local taxes by 4.9 per cent, as well as increase transit fares, town councillors focused almost all of their attention on the recommendation that $44,400 earmarked for council newslet ters be eliminated. After lengthy discussion, council opted to keep the newsletters, but spend only $22,000 on them. That decision means residents can expect to continue receiving some form of newsletter from their local politi cians, along with their increased tax foe season for Christmas decorations bill. The budget increase will cost resi dential taxpayers an extra $17 for every $100,000 their house is worth. That means a home assessed at $300,000 will be charged an additional $51 in town property taxes for the coming year. RON KUZYK OAKVILLE BEAVER I GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS: Annual Christmas Fair on Saturday. Shirley Marth, of the Craft Shack, showing off one of her holiday reefs, was one of many vendors at Glenburnie School's 12th See Budget page A5 Sharkey's decision expected in January By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) will decide by late January whether a 14-storey, 85-unit condo can be built on the site of Sharkey's Dockside Cafe, on the bank of the Sixteen Mile Creek harbour. OMB hearing officer Susan Rogers said she likes to make a decision with evidence fresh in her mind. Rogers will have to decide whether to allow the high rise between two existing high rises -- repeat ing what many have dubbed mistakes of the 1960s -- or to respect the low-rise character and vision for the downtown, which Daniels' lawyer Lyn Townsend Renaud argues doesn't apply to the Sharkey's site. "To say there is a vision that applies to the subject lands is incorrect and misleading," said Townsend Renaud Monday, as Rogers listened to a full day of closing arguments. It ended the three-week hearing of Daniels Oakville Corporation's appeal of Oakville Town Council's unanimous refusal to allow the condo. Rogers said, "I've never had a hearing where so many people from the community have sat through the whole thing." The Town, along with four residents' associations that also took part in the hearing, prefer a six-storey building in sync with the four-storey height limit and human stale character of the Central Business District. In s id e Editorials.................A6 Living.......................B1 'Us the Season......... C1 Business...................C5 Artscene...................C6 Sports...................... D1 Classified.................D5 Partial Dcfivtry: lion 's, Marks it or* Warehouse Partial Ddfary: Spoil Chek. Sport Marl, Halton Business Times. S&R linens. The Hay, Kona. Staples Itusiness Depot. QMS, Coast Mountain Sports, Hy & Zeis, National Sports, thirty Packagers, Sheridan Xurseries, Toppers Pizza. Henry' s. Ikea, Ixiuru Seconi, liquidation World. CriteOi's, Rogers Wireless, See Sharkeg 's page A5 Artist's rendering of Daniels Oakville Corporation's Sharkey's proposal T h e ir s m ile s a r e w o r th $ 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 0 (Support Your Local Carrier) SVLC DELIVERY Zoning will protect land say environmentalists By Kim Arnott SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Instead of spending $232 million to purchase land for a natural heritage system in north Oakville, the Town should simply zone the land to prevent development and let nature run its course. That was the opinion several delegates expressed TUesday night, as Oakville council reconvened a special Planning and Development meeting to discuss the future of growth north of Dundas Street. The meeting, which started last Thursday, is being held to consider a staff recommendation calling for plans for devel opment in north Oakville to be reworked. Staff is suggesting the draft secondary plans released last February need to be rebalanced to include more land dedi cated to employment uses. The staff report also expresses concerns with the estimat ed $232 million cost of purchasing land to create the pro posed natural heritage system that has long been central to the vision of north Oakville development. At last week's meeting, town planning director Peter For home delivery A customer service call (905) 845-9742 M en. Tun., A Viurs. 9 a.m. -6p.m .. Wed. d c F ri 9 a.m. fi p.m. or Saturday 10 a.m. -4 p.m. For new subscriptions, call (905) 845-9742 or subscribe online www.oahnHebcaver.com 2004 United W ay of Oakville Cam paign I OUR GOAL I * 3 .6 4 2 m illio n United Way For mom into: 845-5571 Ir o q u o is R id g e IVlctficral C e n 905-257-8777 CHANTAL AY0TTE/ SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER tre ( n e x t t o G U d l J k t t b e h in d L o n g o s ) Iff Accepting New Patients W A L K -IN CLINIC The three grand prize winners of the Community Foundation of Oakville's Great Dream Lottery were presented with their $100,000 cheques at the Oakville Beaver on Monday. Left to right are 16-month-old Aidan Taylor with his parents Ian and Deirdre, of Oakville, Dan Ferrone, Great Dream Lottery Committee Chair, Raymond and Barbara Maltby, of Oakville,Tetyana and Yuriy Babych, of Mississauga, Danielle Olscamp, Special Event Manager for the Great Dream Lottery, and Rusty Baillie, CEO of the Community Foundation of Oakville. CONGRATULATIONS: See Debate page A 7 All in stock for im m ediate delivery. ('/·I,fiilllj a d F IV E S T A R : & C e n tre 2005 MagnumRT ·eooo U ndcrachievem ent? Neurofeedback and learning strategies can provide a lasting improvement. Co-author with l*vdiatrician William Sear* of · A t t e n t io n s p a n is s h o r t · D if f ic u lt y o r g a n i z i n g c o m p le t in g w o rk · a l s o h e l p f u l f o r a s p e r g e r 's Director Lynda M. Thompson. Ph.D., C LOCKWOOD H R Y S L E R 1 7 5 Wyecroft Road, I NytcitaiM Oakville 905.845.6653 (between Kerr &Doival) [ INTRODUCING THE LOCKWOOD REW ARD S CARD The A+D.D. Hook: New (I' n derstimdinys. Neu' Approaches to Parenting Your Child. (905) 80 3-8066 w w w .a d d c e n tr e .c o m