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

www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday March 7, 2007 - 9 Boaters symposium celebrates Oakville's waterways By Krissie Rutherford OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The harbours are the heart of Oakville. That's the motto of tonight's boating symposium, which will celebrate the past, present and future of the town's waterways. The Oakville and Bronte historical societies will be taking care of covering the history of the town's harbours, said harbour administrator Linda Beers, in an event emceed by local canoe club member and gold and silver Olympic medalist, Larry Cain. Also featured at the symposium is Olympic sailor Paul Henderson, one of the evening's keynote speakers. Both Trout Unlimited Canada and the Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters will also be present. The Ted Knott Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada represents anglers in Oakville. This local chapter is focused on protecting the cold water creeks within Hamilton Wentworth and Halton regions, flowing into Burlington Bay and Lake Ontario. This is just one of the many chapters in this Canada-wide organization, whose mission is to conserve, protect and restore Canada's freshwater ecosystems and coldwater resources for current and future generations. Trout Unlimited brought the Yellow Fish program to Halton and to Oakville. Now supported by Conservation Halton and managed by the local municipalities, the Yellow Fish program informs and reminds the community about preventing pollutants from entering the lake waters through the storm sewer system. The Yellow Fish symbols painted on the storm drains by the young people involved in this program provide a continuous reminder to the community. Commodore and president of the Disabled Sailing Association of Ontario, Shelly Gautier, will help cover the possibilities for the future of Oakville's harbours at tonight's symposium. She'll be addressing adaptability and accessibility ­ a large part of what many local groups hope is in the town's future. A plan has been put forth and a Trillium Grant applied for by Partners for Accessible Recreational Docking (PARDners), a partnership of CharterAbility Cruising for the Disabled and the Wai Nui O Kanaka Outrigger Canoe Club in collaboration with the Town of Oakville to create an accessible, recreational docking facility on 16-mile creek, below the Rebecca Street Bridge. PARDners was formed to create docking with washrooms, resting and other amenities to facilitate boat access for all people, and to maximize the use of space under the Rebecca Street Bridge. Gautier, a physiotherapist and active athlete before a mountain biking accident in 2001 left her confined to a wheelchair, says building an accessible dock is imperative. "You become disabled, and you can't work anymore, and what do you do for yourself then? Sailing has really helped me with that. It changed my life a lot, and it's changed the lives of many of our members," she said. "To have a facility where disabled people can get out, they can meet people, and they're not a bump on the log, is really important." Gautier, 38, won the Sailing Mobility Cup 2006, and now devotes her time to encouraging others to get out on the water. As CharterAbility founder Stephen Cull notes, the facility they're seeking to build would allow for much more than just sailing for the disabled. "The diversification of this dock is extremely vast. The ramifications for Halton and for the surrounding area is just incredible. I don't think there's a facility like this that we're proposing to build anywhere in Canada," said Cull. "We want to create an environment that lets everyone explore the joys of boating and of sailing, and of paddling, and of canoeing and of fishing." An active athlete until a tobogganing accident in 1991 left him confined to a wheelchair, Cull began CharterAbility to create accessible boating opportunities and to build a boat for people with mobility challenges. He says this new proposal and site ­ under the Rebecca Street Bridge between 16-Mile Creek and Water Street ­ is just what the town needs. "We're really turning an urban wasteland into something special for the whole community," he said. "It's incredibly valuable. It's an unprecedented project. The disabled sailing movement is prevalent around the world, but where boating is concerned and paddling and canoeing and rowing is concerned, all at one facility, I think is unprecedented." Cull says PARDners is hopeful the Trillium Foundation will give them a grant to begin the project. The dock alone would cost about $65,000. "I really think we should expand our agenda and really remove any conceivable barrier there is from preventing people from enjoying our waterfront and our waterways," said Cull. That's one focus of tonight's 150th Anniversary Boating Symposium, which runs from 6 ­ 9 p.m. at Oakville Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Rd. The event is free to all and will include information on various clubs based on the water, local boating suppliers, marine rescue and police services, water safety and more. KEEPING SENIORS INFORMED Our LivingWell Events are Open to the Public Thank You for your continued support continue Just a brief note to inform all my past and future clients that after six years with VOLVO, I have decided to move my VOLVO Professional Services to ROBERT MOTORS VOLVO. The longest serving & family owned VOLVO Dealer in the GTA, with over 25 years of stability, experience and thousands of satisfied clients, located in the Kingsway / West Etobicoke area. Of course, I am at your disposal as your personal VOLVO consultant with any advice, related automotive requirement or VOLVO assistance your family may require. This includes providing exceptional trade value for your current vehicle, value pricing on the VOLVO model of your choice, service or accessories. There is no need to start a new relationsh every time you visit a dealership. It will be my distinc pleasure to continue developing ours and to make your VOLVO experience a Premium one as always. m ...and when you call don't forget to ask about my industry unique "Second VOLVO" - VIP Service Program. Jorge A. Stathos Certified Volvo Sales Master VCCL Fleet Sales Programs TM Robert Motors VOLVO Scandinavian Excellenc Phone: (416) 231-1984 ext. 255 Mobile: (416) 560-0918 email: jstathos@robertvolvo.com www.robertvolvo.com