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C C N A BETTER NEWSPAPERS COM PETITION 2000 www.oakviHebeaver.coni I A K V M E For the finest in CUSTOM UPHOLSTERING c a ll B a ie r 's. a p ic a l in th e m o o d fo r p h o to s fro m 'O Z ' a u th e n tic Ita lia n ? The No. 149 f Makers of fine upholstered furniture. 2333Wwcre*Road. In t7 o y r nrC I IbcttwcnBnngA ThinJ Line) OZ/*ZQol arts B u s in e s s 52 Mercedes-Benz 75 Cents (plus GST) A Metroland Publication Vol. 38 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20,2000 Community rallies round fire victims W Blaze battled in hazardous winds By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF hile a Pinegrove Road family won't be spending Christmas at home in the wake of Monday morning's fire, quick thinking by firefighters ensured they will have a house to return to in the New Year. Photos by Peter C. McCusker Members of the Sforza family are lucky to be alive after their house was destoryed by fire on Monday. From left are Tomm Peterdy, Oakville Professional Fire Fighters Association; Doug Greco, managing partner of The Fireball sports bar; Deputy Fire Chief John deHooge; Michael Sforza, Joe Sforza, Madison Sforza, Kim Sforza and Wayne and Margaret Langlois. According to Oakville Deputy Fire Chief John deHooge, high winds of about 60 km/hr spread flames across the roof and even threatened a house next door, but crews managed to con tain the blaze and restrict the amount of damage. "With a good wind, fire spreads really fast," said deHooge. "But our firefighters did a great job stopping the fire and kept it at bay." Once the fire was under control, said deHooge, firefighters did a "remarkable job" of salvaging the inte rior of the house by covering or removing belongings, from the fami ly's personal effects to their Christmas presents. Kim Sforza - whose husband, three children and parents were at home at the time of the incident - also had noth ing but good things to say about the firefighters, who saved their home and went above and beyond to recover their belongings. "They were incredible, just so understanding and thoughtful, just great," said Kim who, with her family, will spend the holidays at a Mississauga residence thanks to their insurance company. (See `Fire' page A 4 ) `Subway Elvis' awarded $230,000 after being given two unfair robbery trials Michael McTaggart, the man popu larly known as Subway Elvis, can break into a song and dance at the drop of a hat. That's what he did Tuesday as he spoke publicly for the first time after winning a wrongful prosecution law suit last week against Halton Regional Police in connection with a series of bank robberies in the mid-1980s. Before a roomful of reporters, TV cameras and photographers, the Elvis Presley impersonator and former teenage subway busker broke into a song he penned over the weekend, aptly titled "I'm Not the Bank Robbin' Kind." McTaggart said it would be his theme song, the anthem of his come back as an entertainer after living for almost 15 years under a cloud of sus picion. Still, there was no hiding the hurt. Harsh words tumbled from the mouth of a man bitter and angry over having spent 20 months in jail for crimes he says he never committed - convictions a judge blamed on "tunnel vision" and the "egregious" behaviour of Halton Region police. "It's been a living hell," McTaggart, 45, said at the news con ference, sitting between Phil Campbell of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted and his lawyer Haig DeRusha. "It's like I've been walking on eggshells since 1986." In a written judgment handed down on Friday, Mr. Justice Norman Dyson of the Superior Court of Justice said McTaggart had not received fair trials in 1986 and 1987 and awarded him $230,000. The key reason was the failure of Sergeant Rod Wilson of Halton police to disclose vital information - both to the crown and defence - that showed witnesses had identified another sus pect as the robber of two trust compa nies. That information came out of a photo lineup of 300 people and was not brought forward in two of McTaggart's trials, something the judge said was "inconceivable unless (Wilson's) silence was intentional." The judge also found Wilson, who is still a police officer, kept two sets of (See `Judgement' page A 4 ) Salvation Army donations rising but still short of goal Donations continue to flow into the Salvation Army's Christmas Kettle campaign but the amount to date is still half of last year's total. According to Community Service Co-ordinator Jocelyn Ritson, the 1999 Christmas Kettle program raised $81,500. As of Saturday, the 2000 cam paign had collected $43,413 in dona tions. The Salvation Army uses the money to carry out many vital community ini tiatives, from the organization's emer gency shelter to Christmas dinners for the needy. In Oakville, the kettles can be found at the following locations at various times: Oakville Place, Wal-Mart in the Uptown Core, Hopedale Mall, Canadian Tire at Dundas Street and Winston Churchill Boulevard, Loblaw's (weekends) at Trafalgar Road and Dundas, LCBO stores at Upper Middle and Eighth Line and Oakville Town Centre I. On Thursday at around 11 a.m., the Salvation Army Brass Band will be at Oakville Place. Individuals wishing to give can also drop off donations at the Salvation Army's Oakville Citadel, located at 1225 Rebecca St. Please specify that the money be added to the Christmas Kettle campaign. Golden Retriever puppies stolen Twelve, six-week-old purebred Golden Retriever puppies have been stolen from the van of their breeder. The puppies are valued at $750 each and are readily identifiable by the breeder and had already been promised to families, some for Christmas. The breeder stopped off on a short errand at Oakville Place around 9:15 a.m. yesterday and left two cages with six puppies each, in his van. When he returned, one cage was gone. The dogs were going for their first check-up at a veterinarian's office. Anyone who may have witnessed the crime or has information which may assist in in the recovery of the ani mals should contact Halton Regional Police at 878-5511 ext. 2210 or CrimeStoppers Polar bears ready The polar bears will come out of hibernation and run into the freezing waters of Lake Ontario on New Year's Day, keeping a 16-year-old tradition alive. The event, the largest polar bear dip in Ontario as well as Eastern Canada, happens at Coronation Park at 2 p.m. More than 300 participants are expected to jump into the lake as over 3,000 spectators watch and cheer them on. As in past years, the proceeds from the 16th annual World Vision Polar Bear Dip Swim will go to help World Vision Canada's water well projects in Nicaragua, Honduras and Tanzania. Last year, more than $14,000 was raised.This year's goal is $25,000. To participate, a minimum sponsor ship of $20 is required. For more information call 1-800COURAGE (268-7243), or Trent, Todd or Anna at 905-607-4950 Ext. 24. INSIDE to d a y 'spaper P r V S K L .................................... B 1 F n t p r t a i n m f > n f ................ . . . R 8 Tis t h es e a s o n .. _ _ C 1 R iksvaa............................... ffl S p o r t s ................................... m . . .D 4 C l a s s i f i e d A u t o m o t iv e ._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ..D 6 Spedd Supplements; Photo by Peter C. McCusker C O M F O R TIN G H U G : An Oakville firefighter holds the child of a mother who was involved in an accident yesterday on Speers Road just east of Dorval Drive. The woman was taken to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital with non life-threatening injuries. H o m e ife tie y :B u sre ssD e p o t Mifetay: C a n a d a nT rs . P a d ia g e rs .S e a rs .H n y w sP h a rm a c y . 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