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M Vanderjagt watch: 2 away from record J S u zu k i so u n d s o f C h r is t m a s A r t sc e n e Mercedes-Benz Q .E .W . & D o rv a l D r. N O R T H A Metroland Publication THE OAKVILLE A M E R I C A 'S M O S T A W A R D E D Vol. 4 0 No. 153 w w w .oakvillebeaver.com C O M M TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2003 S P A P E R 4 0 Pages $ 1.00 (plus GST) "U SING C O M M U N IC A T IO N TO B U ILD B E T T E R C O M M U N IT IE S ' Peter C. McCusker · Oakville Beaver CHRISTMAS WISH: Three-year-old Brandon Norton-Pery will have to wait until Christmas Day to find out whether Santa Claus was listening closely when the youngster told him his Christmas wish at the Hopedale Shopping Centre. To young Brandon, and the rest of our readers, we hope all your wishes come true this Christmas. Merry Christmas everyone. Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn is attempting to see if new provincial rules could save the for mer Shell House land from development. Last week, the Ontario Liberal government announced a year-long moratorium on devel opment of existing rural and agriculturallyzoned land. The new rules would also allow the govern ment to stay proceedings regarding sensitive MPP exploring Provincial interest in Shell House land Smile - your kids have the best teeth in Halton By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF land within a Golden Horseshoe study area that includes Halton - an area the government will look at to determine what land in it should be saved as a permanent greenbelt. Flynn said he isn't sure how the proposed legislation would apply to the former Shell House land, but said he is investigating. The MPP said there is provision that should the Province declare a provincial interest in a piece of land, it would allow the Province to instruct at the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). Flynn said he's looking to see if David Crombie's Royal Commission report on Lake Ontario waterfront regeneration -- which rec ommended the former Shell House land be purchased by government for public parkland -- "could be construed as a provincial inter est." Bronte resident Laurie McGinn, who spear headed the new Bronte Village Residents' Association to fight development of the former Shell House land, said last week that proposed (See `Researching' page A2) By Jason Misner SPECIAL T O THE BEAVER 'Jjj^ J iu ls Religious leaders say examples can be found in most religions By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Christmas is a time of hope, peace, joy and love -- and while the occasion may not be shared by all world religions, its message is universal. That's what the Interfaith Council of Halton has discovered -- and wants to remind others. The council of nearly 50 local religious leaders, as well as mem bers from the local schools boards and even the Halton Regional Police Service, was formed in the aftermath of 9/11. Its members pulled together in a time of crisis, but found they learned about one another and developed friendships enough to keep going. What they found is that they themselves, and the teachings of their various faiths, are not that different - in fact, sometimes they're exactly alike. Now, the trust, education and respect that they've developed among themselves is something they believe could be beneficial to all the community. And the holiday season that (See `Golden' page A3) Oakville children have the best teeth in Halton, according to the findings of a regional health department study. The same study reports Milton children have the worst teeth. The study looked at the teeth of slightly more than 1,200 elementary school students, aged 11 and 13, equally divided among the region's four municipalities in 2002-03. Schools were randomly selected. However, the results may be based more on the water sys tems from which the children drink, rather than their dental habits. Burlington and Oakville residents drink water from a fluoridated lake-based system and Halton Hills dwellers drink from a fluoridated well-based system. A majority of Milton residents are on well-based systems ((See `Region' page A2) B E Peter C. McCusker · Oakville Beaver (Support Your Local Carrier) Canadian Publications Mail Product Agreement *435-201 S V L C DELIVERY Interfaith Council of Halton members Laila Eiriksson (Baha'i) Abdul Qayyum Mufti (Muslim), Rev. Morar Murray-Hayes (Christian), Darsham Arora, (Sikh) and Rabbi Paul Sidlofsky (Judaism) hold up a poster signifying the Golden Rule as it applies in many faiths. 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