in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 30 ,2 02 2 | 10 Interlocking & Concrete Specialists Call Mario 905.842.7171 sunmarlandscape.com ™ La n d s c a p in g 3133 Burnhamthorpe Rd W, Milton, On L9E 0J7 • Pebble Concrete • Stamped Concrete • Interlocking • Flagstone • Walkways • Garage Floors • Patios • Driveways • Curbs (French) Interlocking & Concrete Specialists Communities we serve: Located in Halton region, we work in and around • Milton • Campbellville • Burlington • Aldershot • Hamilton • Oakville • Mississauga • Waterdown • Carlisle A 29-year-old Hamilton man has been charged with arson after an Oak- ville pizzeria was allegedly set on fire Sunday, June 5. At around 1:30 a.m., that day someone approached Four Brothers Pizza on Kingsway Drive, threw a rock through a window and then threw a gas can into the restaurant, police said. The fire that followed reportedly caused around $18,000 worth of damage. Halton police conduct- ed an investigation, which resulted in a search war- rant being executed at a Hamilton residence and one arrest being made on Monday, June 20. The man has been charged with arson and possession of incendiary material. He was held in custody pending a bail hearing. The charges have not been proven in court. Anyone with informa- tion about this incident is asked to contact Halton po- lice at 905-825-4777, ext. 2216 or Crime Stoppers at 1- 800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.haltoncrimestopper- s.ca. ARSON CHARGE LAID IN PIZZERIA FIRE CRIME An agreement has been reached that will keep costs down for two munici- palities. At the June 21 Burling- ton city council meeting, council agreed to a revised financial framework for cost-sharing, delivery and maintenance of the Bur- loak Grade Separation project with Metrolinx that would see Burlington and Oakville spending $15 million each on the pro- ject. Once complete, the project would see the con- struction of a road-under- rail underpass at the cur- rently at-grade train crossing on Burloak Drive. In 2018 all parties agreed on a capped cost share, of 50 per cent Metro- linx and 25 per cent each for Burlington and Oak- ville, for a total project cost of $60 million. Howev- er, earlier this year, Metro- linx informed the City of Burlington and the Town of Oakville that the total project cost was $177 mil- lion and each municipality would need to pay $45 mil- lion each. Following discussions, the financial ask of the City of Burlington for this project was then reduced to the original agreed-up- on cost of $15 million. Scott Hamilton, direc- tor of engineering servic- es, said the project will have numerous benefits. "We're very happy to re- duce the costs back to our original agreed-upon $15 million for this project. Once complete, this grade separation will signifi- cantly reduce congestion and greenhouse gas emis- sions by not having vehi- cles stopped at the rail line crossing, waiting for the train to pass. It will also make the crossing much safer for all users by virtu- ally eliminating most risks of collisions with on- coming trains," said Ham- ilton. Part of the updated sav- ings for this cost-sharing agreement comes from a planned 12-month road closure of Burloak Drive and previously agreed to credit for works completed by Burlington in advance of this project. Burlington mayor Mar- ianne Meed Ward said this is the result of work from the city's government rela- tions and technical staff. "I especially want to thank Ward Councillor Paul Sharman on this. Our joint advocacy does pay off, and this is just one ex- ample, where we worked together to protect our taxpayers and ensure the agency responsible for cost overruns absorbed the cost," said Meed Ward. GO Transit's planned 15-minute all-day service for 2025, will see up to eight trains crossing Burloak Drive every hour, in addi- tion to regular VIA and freight trains. The Burloak Drive clo- sure will be from July 2026 to August 2027. BURLOAK GRADE SEPARATION PROJECT COST STILL $15 MILLION ROLAND CILLIERS rcilliers@metroland.com NEWS METROLINX HAD PREVIOUSLY TOLD CITIES THAT PROJECT COST HAD INCREASED TO $45 MILLION FOR EACH MUNICIPALITY "We're very happy to reduce the costs back to our original agreed upon $15 million for this project." - Scott Hamilton The Burloak project will be four-lane with provisions to be a six-lane road in the future. Metrolinx illustration