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i.e ee Copy 65¢ (61¢ +4¢ GST) 52 Pages The Mutt Show took centre stage Saturday morning. Children could enter their pooch in two of 10 different categories ranging from longest ears to friendliest dog. No one disputed the judges choice of "Duke" for largest dog. Pictured with Duke is his owner Michelle Assel- stine. For more pictures and results, please see Page 5 in the Star's special pull-out section. Council looks for ways to make 7A Hwy. safer By Scott Anderson In the wake of two serious ac- cidents, including one fatality, local council is debating ways to make Highway 7A a safer route. For years the stretch of High- way 7A known as Scugog Street has been an area of concern for the Township. The most contentious area, according to Regional Council- lor Yvonne Christie, is the stretch of road across the Causeway. This stretch is a popular yo for fishermen, and as a result, has caused numer- ous traffic problems over the years. She points to the most recent accident over the Canada Day weekend in which a person fish- ing on one side of the lake at- tempted to cross to the other side, causing a three-car colli- sion. Councillor Christie says she doesn't want to ban fishing in the area, but adds "what's been happening with traffic over the last couple of years, something needs to be done." Township of Scugog thought they had the problem remedied a short time ago when no park- ing signs were posted along the roadway, but the fishermen have still found a way to get around this by parking on the path beside the road. It was suggested during a re- cent council meeting that the Township construct a parkin lot on a vacant parcel of land immediately adjacent to the north side of the roadway. This would have to be negotiated with the Ministry of Transpor- tation, as it is not the Town- ship's property. Mayor Howard Hall is sup- portive of the idea. "I'd certain- ly be the first one to negotiate with them," he said. But knows that doing anything would be costly. The land must be ac- quired, and a significant amount of filling and paving would have to be done. The Township has a proposal in to the Ministry of Transpor- tation to negotiate a cost shar- ing agreement on the project. Mayor Hall believes that this concern should fall into the hands of the provincial govern- ment as the Highway is MTO's jurisdiction. Councillor Christie says MTO has not done much in the past to address the concerns of the Township over this issue, but says in light of the recent accident they "have an atten- tion getter." Turn to Page 11 Region study looks at bringing water from Lake Simcoe By Scott Anderson A feasibility study on the long-term water supply for small urban areas has Dh on the recommendation of the re- gional works committee. According to Scugog regional councillor Yvonne Christie, the study will look at the possibility of drawing water from Lake Simcoe and pumping it to small urban areas such as Scugog, Uxbridge and Brock via a loop system and treatment plant. Councillor Christie stressed that the study is long-term, and estimates it will take approxi- mately six months before it is completed. The consulting firm of Totten Sims Hubicki Asso- ciates has been retained to con- duct the study. Once the study is completed it will be presented to the works committee for consideration. Councillor Christie said the cost of the project would be "prohibitive" in Durham Re- gion and says it must be done in conjunction with development finance where a company in- volved in any new development would share in the cost. The ul- timate decision on the project would be made by the munici- pality in conjunction with the region, "It's a long-range study and an attempt to plan ahead," she says. "There's a real need to look ahead." She says there are a number of communities in the area in- cluding Greenbank, Canning- ton, and Sunderland which do not have an excess of water and therefore there is a need to look for alternative sources. Both Councillor Christie and works committee vice-chairman Don Jackson, pushed for the intro- 'duction of the study. This study is the best way for them to look into the future wa- ter situation, she says. It was the concern of Councillor Chris- tie that the water situation in the area was looking bleak due to the warming trend of the earth over the last number of years. She believes that if the warming trend continues over the next 10-15 years "the water situation could become more se- vere. The future growth of many communities is also in jeopardy as expansion is limited by the water supply, she argues. "You canonly dig somany wells." ECIAL THIS WEEK