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J V durhamregion.com Gridlock or gritlock? THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ July 26,2006 » Page A3 Courtice man arrested near Peterborough Tory blames government inaction for Durham's traffic congestion woes BY IZABELA JAROSZYNSKI Staff Writer AJAX -- Durham Region needs better road infrastructure, more accessible transit and a better live-work balance. That was the conclusion reached by local residents at Monday night's town hall meeting meeting hosted by John Tory, leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. Mr. Tory was joined in Ajax by John ■ O'Toole, provincial transportation critic and Durham MPP, to host the evening meeting, which is just one in a series being held by the Ontario PC party around the 905 area. The series is part"of an initiative to get input and ideas for solving the growing gridlock problems plaguing the GTA. The results are to be compiled in à report to be released later this year. ' The GTA, Mr. Tory said, has "a'fast-growing "a'fast-growing population and really no one taking the steps to deal with it." He said the results are predictable: "Unless something dramatic is done about (the gridlock), gridlock), it's only going to get worse." Traffic-congestion, like that seen by many - Durham residents every day on Hwy. 401, costs the GTA $1.8 billion a year in economic economic activity, affects time spent with families, and causes health problems, Mr. Tory said. His solution is a comprehensive transportation transportation plan - one that will include a balance of better roads and convenient transit - instead of the one-off funding announcements he says the McGuinty Liberals have been making. making. . y - More than a dozen local residents gathered to hear Mr. Tory's message and give him their input into the growing congestion problems problems rising in the eastern part of thé GTA.. Renrick Ashby, Ajax resident and council- hopèful, said the solution lies in making transit convenient enough to lure, people from their cars and on to public buses, trains and subways. : "If you are serious about gridlock, you have to get serious about transit," he told Mr.- Tory. , Colin Hume, a Durham resident who .commutes .commutes to Markham for work, 1 said he would like to see more work opportunities created in Durham so less people would have to travel outside of the region for high-paying jobs. . , Mr. Hume says he often works late because leaving early would just put him on the road during rush hour and even though he travels on the 407, traffic is still a big issue. . "There is nothing fun about being stuck in traffic and paying for it," he said. Mr. Tory referred to the eastern extension extension of the 407 as the single biggest issue of transportation importance for Durham Region and also expressed frustration on how long the approval process is taking. 70-year-old faces several charges, including flight from police PETERBOROUGH - A 70-year- old Courtice man faces a slew of charg es, after taking off after being stopped by police near Peterborough Thursday evening. Police say they stopped a vehicle being driven in an erratic manner on Hwy. 7 near Burnham Line around 10:30 p.m: As the Peterborough OPP officer was standing beside the car, the driver sped away. The car was stopped a short distance later on Hwy. 28. William Stanley of Oakilcld Gate in Courtice is charged with impaired driving, driving, driving with more than 80 mgs of alcohol in 100 mis of blood, failure to stop for police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, and flight from police. 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S RAM-ONE member IlltiCll Wealth building biimtti value RBC Royal Bank Carol Browne, FICB Senior Account Manager Durham Commençai Markets 40 King St. W., Suite 800 Oshawa, ON Li H 1 A4 905-436-5378 carol.browne@rbc.com Cowan PONTIAC-BUICK GMC TRUCKS BOWMANVILLE www.cowanpontiac.gmcanada.com 166 King St. É., Bowmanville John H. Graine Ontario L1C 3Z2 'Famous lor Falmoss" Tel: 905-623-3396 Fax: 905-623-7761 Email: jcraine@cowanpontiac.com Bowmanville Rotary Club Finland Anyone? One . of the most popular and rewarding programs offered through the Rotary Foundation is the Group Study Exchange. It is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for young business and professional men and women between the ages of 25 and 40 in the early years of their professional lives. This Rotary program pro vides travel grants for a team of young professionals led by a Ro- tarian to travel to another country country to exchange visits between paired 1 areas in different countries, countries, this year the team is thrilled to be travelling to Finland. ■ For four to six weeks, team members experience the host countries institutions and ways of life, observe their own vocations as practiced abroad, develop personal personal and professional relationships relationships and exchange ideas with similar young people in Finland. One of the attractive features features of GSE is the opportunity for the visiting team members to meet, talk and live with Rotarians and their families in a warm spirit of frièndship and hospitality. In addition to learning about another country through visits to farms, schools, industrial plants, ■ professional offices and governmental governmental establishments, the GSE teams serve as ambassadors of goodwill. They interpret their home nation to host Rotarians and others in.the communities they visit. Truly, the Group Study Exchange Exchange program has provided Rotarians with one of its most enjoyable, practical and meaningful meaningful ways to promote world understanding. If you would like to learn more about his program please contact Susan McLel- lan a Bowmanville Rotarian at susanmclellan@rogers.com.This year's team will be chosen in the next few months and will leave for Finland sometime in the Spring. Rotary Member Of The Month John H. C raine John H. Graine is a salesperson salesperson for Cowan Pontiac Buick GMC Trucks in Bowmanville. He joined the Rotary Club of Bowmanville in 2002 because he wanted to give back to the community. community. "It's been a very rewarding experience' with the highlight of the year being the children's party at Christmas," says John. "What really attracted me to the Rotary Club was that it works on both a local and international level." One initiative that is close to John's heart is the Rotary Polio- Plus program. "My sister is post polio and Rotary International's goal is a polio free world," lie explains. "It means a lot to me to be part of an organization that is dedicated to this cause." Rotary is the largest private- sector contributor to the global polio eradication campaign. Rotarians Rotarians have mobilized hundreds of thousands of PolioPlus volunteers and have immunized more than one billion children worldwide. John is also on the Rotary Auction committee and this year's event was a huge success with a profit of over $39,000 for Rotary Charity. "The members of Rotary are high energy, positive people and it's great to be part of this wonderful group," he says. "At Rotary it's not about you but what you can do for others. It's a lot of fun and I would recommend to anyone that they see if Rotary is right for them." 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