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Wednesday October 3, 2001 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A5 R e s id e n ts c it e d s n o w - c le a r in g as a re a o f m a jo r c o n c e rn (Continued from page A1) W ork o f fire fig h te rs o ffic ia lly re c o g n ize d Oakville's fire fighters aren't taken for granted and they'll be reminded of that on Oct. 7. On that day, all Oakville firefighters will receive a letter of thanks from Mayor Ann Mulvale on behalf of all Oakville residents. It will commemorate Ontario's first official day of remembrance for fallen fire fighters. The letter will recognize "the personal sac rifices and commitment to the safety of the cit izens of Oakville made by its fire fighters" said a report the mayor presented to Town Council Monday. "In light of the recent tragic events in New York City, in which hundreds of fire fighters gave their lives in the line of duty to help res cue those trapped in the World Trade Centre, it seems appropriate that this Council acknowl edge our own fire fighters," said Mulvale's report. "Theirs is extremely dangerous work. They protect our lives and property at signifi cant risk to their own safety and we all are very grateful for their commitment to the citi zens of the Town of Oakville," stated the mayor. A year ago, the Ontario Legislature gave royal assent to Bill 107, a private member's bill from Brant MPP and Liberal critic of the Solicitor General & Corrections Dave Levac. That bill named Oct. 7 as Ontario's official day of remembrance for fallen fire fighters. It did however, just make official a cere mony that had already become entrenched in the psyche of fire fighters. On the first Sunday of October, fire fight ers from across the province gather in Gravenhurst, Ontario for a memorial service to remember fire fighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty. for it this year, contractors are hard to come by at this point in the season, said Bloomer. Com petition for plow ing services is stiff in the GTA and contractors get signed early. T h a t's why the additional $200,000 had to be approved now for this com ing season. S till, G reen acknow ledged that snow plow ing showed up as a beef for a good num ber o f residents on a C itizens' Survey conducted last sum m er by Environics Research Group. W hile it w asn't a top concern, a "significant" m inor ity -- one-third -- w anted better w inter m aintenance of both roads and sidewalks. The survey was done to guide the Town during annu al budget deliberations. Just to press hom e the point, Pinevalley C rescent res ident M ona M oran was at Council meeting. M oran said a picture is worth a thousand w ords and presented photos o f her neighbourhood depicting w inter conditions that she dubbed "appalling" because o f a lack o f snow removal. Residents o f the 62-executive townhom e enclave had to walk out to the main street, Bayshire Drive, if they needed to catch a lim ousine or taxi to the airport, said M oran. "I 'm not asking for any special treatm ent, but I'm not going to stand for being ignored, either, especially when other crescents are cleared," M oran told councillors. Last week, Bloom er explained that plow ing gets done when six inches o f snow accum ulates on the road, but that the decision to plow is really made when more like four inches has already fallen. "All streets are to be plowed w ithin 24 hours upon the completion o f a storm ," said Bloomer. M inim um m aintenance standards are set by the Province o f O ntario, explained Green, but those stan dards haven't been changed since 1975. For this year, the Town will sim ply keep pace with growth for the $1 m illion by adding one extra snowplow and one additional sidew alk clearing plow to its 29 plows and nine sidew alk plows. New this year is the hiring o f a separate contractor, with sm aller equipm ent, to haul away snow from new road configurations like service road loops and rear yard public lanes. Also, the Town, which opted several years ago to clear cul-de-sacs with front-end loaders instead o f the usual snow plows, will bump its com plem ent of loaders from six to eight. Public Works staff is also m eeting with Halton Helping Hands with a view to im proving and expanding that agency's service o f clearing drivew ays plowed in by snow plows for seniors and physically challenged resi dents. GTA growth, higher pay rates and rising fuel costs have all led to increased costs for snow rem oval, said Bloomer. The Town does have a snow rem oval plan which indi cates priority routes, like bus routes, for snow rem oval. All councillors will get inform ation to better answ er residents' questions when a storm hits and the phone starts ringing. I m p a c t o f f u n d in g n o t i m m e d i a t e l y k n o w n (Continued from page A1) "Halton has a definite role to play in identi fying and solving transportation needs and we will be active partners at the table with the Province," said Regional Chair Joyce Savoline. "We have said for quite some time that the provincial and federal government should be involved in transportation as well as ourselves. It is a big picture, economic issue." With specific details about provincial and federal funding still sketchy, Marshall said it's too early to determine what the over-all affect of the announcement will be on Halton. Speeding called atrocious on Bronte street (Continued from page A1) function" of Mississaga Street. It's anticipated that the new bridge will lead to less traffic, but that it may not happen until after the last leg of reconstruction is complet ed on Bronte Road. That's why the traffic study will be done next winter and spring. Yet Council did uphold a few extras. Those included that the Town also keep an eye on Mississaga Street even while Bronte Road is closed; that pedestrian counts be included in the upcoming study; and, that if a Town-wide traffic calming policy is effected later this year, that Mississaga Street be among the first to be considered. On Monday, Council went a step further and threw support behind the idea of tempo rary stop signs -- similar stop signs were put in place when the north leg of Bronte Road was reconstructed last year. "Over the weekend, traffic was very busy for a weekend and speeding was just atro cious," reported resident Susan Peaks suggest ing that stop signs go in at Swansea Drive, Chalmers Street and Riverview Street. Instead of approving the stop signs them selves, councillors left it to the discretion of Public Works director Ray Green who has the authority under the Town by-laws to institute temporary measures for 30 days. While Ward 1 Councillor Ralph Robinson complained that Green hadn't seemed sup portive of the idea, Mayor Ann Mulvale said that after Monday's delegations and Council's supportive response that Green "had learned the error of his way" and would enact Council's wishes. Peeks said she understood the stop signs were temporary but said they would not allow drivers to build up any speed on the street and might deter them from using the route once Bronte Road re-opens. Signs are also going up to prohibit truck use of the route. Bump ad to fill... Homebuilding Career Y our career. PETITE CLASSICS O ur fall collection has arrived at Kristins! This seasons fashions are rich in style and colour. We offer timeless fashions for all occasions. Size 2-18 Free alterations on all regular priced merchandise. Y our c h o ic e . Y o u r life . The Centre for Skills Development & Training has an exciting program to prepare students in a number of related occupations: Carpentry Trowel Trades Hvac Electrical Plumbing We have employers ready to hire successful graduates! ATTEND A FREE INFORMATION SESSION 905-333-3499/878-1240 www.thecentre.on.ca M APLE GROVE VILLAG E OAKVILLE 905-845-0655 Still Time to Register The Centre Skills Development & Training There's a brand new Wendy's opening near you, w ith lots of tem pting Biggie things. Like our Classic Hamburgers, served hot and juicy o ff the grill and topped the w ay you w an t it. Or maybe a delicious Spicy Chicken breast fille t sandwich w ith a Biggie drink and piping hot Biggie fries. Then, of course there's Wendy's Super Value Menu, w ith lots of great choices for just 990 or $1.39. 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