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C C N A BETTER NEWSPAPERS COMPETITION 2000 www.oakvillebeavencom E R Hobson's Choice" Mercedes-Benz A Metroland Publication Vol. 39 No. 31 Ford Names New CEO | Business I custom upholstery to± baier's Fot the finest in CUSTOM UPHOLSTERING call Baier's. M a k e rs o f fin e u p h o ls te re d ftrm itu re . 2333W ye cro flR o ad . U n it7 Arts (b e tw e e nB m in e & T h n dL in e ) WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14,2001 52^a^es 75 Cents Robber suspected in 8 b a n k heists P e el R egional Police believe m an who ro b b e d M ississauga b a n k M on da y is sam e th ie f w anted fo r an O akville bank ro bb ery a n d others in O ntario A suspect in a M onday bank robbery in M ississauga is also a suspect in a Nov. 14, 2000-bank robbery in O akville and seven sim ila r incid en ts in d ifferen t O ntario m unicipalities. A t ro u g h ly 1:35 p.m . M onday, a lone m ale w alked into the N ational Bank branch on 3100 W inston C hurchill Blvd. Just north o f D undas Street. The culprit w aited in line fo r a te lle r and approached one w ith a hold up note w hich stated he had a gun. T he v ictim com p lied w ith his dem and and handed over a quantity o f money. The culprit left the bank and was seen w alking northbound on This is photo of bank W inston C hurchill Boulevard. robbery suspect taken The suspect is described as by surveillance cam a male A sian betw een 24-27 eras in November 2000 years-of-age with a medium at a Hamilton bank. build and about 5 ft. 7 in. tall. The same man is sus He w as clean -sh av en and pected in a Monday wore square sunglasses w ith a robbery and a series of yellow tint, a grey or beige others in Ontario. fish e rm a n 's hat, dark 3/4 len g th coat 'w ith light coloured pants. In all robberies, the suspect has passed a note dem anding cash and indicating that he is arm ed. No w eapon has been seen. A nyone w ith inform ation on this incident is asked to contact the Peel R egional Police C entral Robbery Bureau at 453-2121 ext. 7455, Peel Crim e Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or Halton Regional Police at 878-5551 or H alton Crim e Stoppers at 825-TIPS. i TH E MAN WITH NINE LIVES: Photo by Peter C. McCusker You'd think that one near-death experience would be enough for anyone. But for Peter Frank, circumstances have seen him beat the Grim Reaper on more than a few occasions. His gnarled hands are the result of suffering frostbite as a youngster and...well, check out his story on page A8 to see how it turns out. Concerns raised over Glen Abbey hotel complex Zoning for new luxury facility has been in place since 1980 but residents want design changes to lessen impact on their lives i By A ngela Blackb* m OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Seventy residents living adjacent to a new $50-million luxury hotel/confer ence centre proposed for Glen Abbey golf course want town councillors to take on a rather friendly Goliath. Residents of Forest Ridge, a new development of luxury townhome con dominiums, situated just south of the Glen Abbey entrance gate, aren't con cerned about the new 250-room, sevenstorey hotel. After all, zoning for the facility was there before they were. But residents were alarmed after learning that Glen Abbey's main road way will be widened before this golf season to accommodate construction and that its existing parking lot will be tripled to accommodate up to 400 cars. They'd also like to see access -- for construction and for the future hotel -- shifted from the Dorval Drive entrance to an Upper Middle Road access. "Right now we've approached the Town. We're looking upon them as our intermediary to sort things out," said resident Elizabeth Norma Brown. Residents want to raise their con cerns with the Town before a Committee of Approval meeting set for Tues. March 20. So they fired off a letter yesterday seeking the Town's assistance. "We urge the Mayor, Town Council and the Committee of Approval to act vigorously on behalf of the homeown ers. Please do not rubber stamp this project," implores the letter signed by Brown and fellow Forest Ridge resi dent William Spence on behalf of the residents. Forest Ridge residents want the pro posed parking lot screened by berms and vegetation." That isn't a problem for ClubLink said its development director Angela Baldwin yesterday outlining plans for M a n fa c e s c h a r g e s increased vegetation in the area of con cern -- a significant investment for ClubLink. The road widening is only three feet and will take place on the golf course side of the roadway, said Baldwin. However, residents also want the access changed. "That one is pretty well impossible," said Baldwin, noting the road would have to be built through two fairways on the golf course. "Significant changes could impact our chances of getting the Canadian Open and we want the Open to come back," said Baldwin, noting Jack Nicklaus gave the golf course a "sensi tive design." "You'd be driving golf balls at trucks. It's a recipe for disaster." "Zoning has been in place since 1980 and access was always coming in from Dorval Drive," said Baldwin. Forest Ridge residents, specifically some 30 like Spence who back directly onto the golf course, say the hotel development is creeping "ever closer" to their homes. While they'll likely only see the top of the seven-storey hotel, which will sit below the horizon near the bank of the (See `Construction' page A5) in g a s b a r r o b b e r y Photo by Riziero Vertolli Five-year-old Shane Synes, throws a junior curling stone while his father played in the Big Brothers Curling Bonspiel at the Oakville Curling Club Saturday. More than $24,000 was raised by 24 teams. The top fundrais er was Oakville Mayor Ann Mulvale followed by Brendan and Karin Furlong who raised $4,100. A 50-year-old O akville man has been arrested in connection with the armed robbery o f a Bronte gas sta tion Saturday night. The robbery occurred at 6 p.m. at the NOCO gas bar on Lakeshore Road at M ississaga S tr e e t. H alton Regional Police said a man walked into the gas station's kiosk and purchased cig arettes before pulling a handgun and dem anding cash from the register. The gunm an fled on foot after receiving an undisclosed am ount of money. Shortly after police responded to the scene, they w ent to a nearby house where a suspect was arrested with the help o f the H alton Police Canine and Tactical units. . No shots were fired and no one was injured during the incident or the arrest. D avid Langton is charged with robbery and w eapons offences. today's paper C /K W ia lr Afi R1 C1 E n t e r t a i n m e n t . . , . , . , . , . . , . . . . .......... C l a s s i f i e d _________ __________ B u s i n e s s . . . _______ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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