$1.00 Your Independent Local News Source Vol 3 No 12 Wednesday, Jan. 16 2008 Rejected rec fees could result in 09 tax hike By Jessica Verge staff to increase recreation user The Oshawa Express fees in an effort to reduce the tax increase when the time Recreation fees for Oshawa comes to finalize the 2008 residents won’t be going up this budget this spring. year but the decision doesn’t Last Tuesday, McKay was come as good news to every- one of more than 100 Oshawa one. residents, most donning soccer “It’s going to come back to jerseys and t-shirts emblazoned bite us,” says Oshawa resident with the names of local sports Tina McKay, president of the teams and park leagues, who Durham Coed Slo-Pitch came out to a public meeting on Association whose members the issue, not including those play regularly at the Lakefront who were turned away by city West ball diamond during the hall security when council Photos by Courtney Duffett/The Oshawa Express summer. chambers reached capacity. Residents attended a local forum hosted by the CAW D.R.E.C to find out more and ask questions about the possibili- Council decided last week And McKay says she’s not ty of an Energy from Waste facility in Durham Region. INSET: Dave Renaud, president of CAW D.R.E.C speaks to the against a proposal from city See RECREATION Page 2 group. Incinerator dangers Veteran sports writer welcomed By Wally Donaldson sion with Sandy, I was sold. The Oshawa Express The paper is becoming well still unanswered established in Oshawa and as I from Waste facility going into this and we still need more So, while walking the discovered earlier in the week, Fear of incineration that must be fed an information.” lengthy corridor of the Oshawa the people who play an integral endless stream of More than 200 residents attended Centre and minding my own part of The Express, are really raises question at garbage in order to the local public forum to discuss the business one weekend not so cool! produce energy. pros and cons of a proposed incinera- long ago, I bumped into Sandy And so after 18 years of CAW forum Durham tor in Durham Region. McDowell, who writing sports at the Regional Council Hosted by the CAW Durham waves the baton as now-defunct daily By Courtney Duffett is expected to vote Regional Environmental Council orchestra leader of Oshawa Times and The Oshawa Express on the proposed (D.R.E.C.) in Oshawa last week it The Oshawa Express. broadcasting count- “Come on Wally, less Oshawa Generals John Neal Clarington facility gave citizens the opportunity to hear A local forum that delved into the today at council, guest speakers discuss the proposed why not get back into games as a colour possibility of an incinerator being after the region’s Energy from Waste facility. sports writing?” she commentator, I am built just east of Oshawa had area res- Works Committee voted in favour of “The only way things are going to inquired, while at the back in the media fol- idents questioning whether such a the incinerator last week. change is if the public citizens ques- cash of a clothing lowing a ten-year sab- waste management strategy makes Local and regional councillor John tion it,” said Dave Renaud, president store during an appar- batical. ent shop, shop, shop Wally And so, to all my any sense. Neal says he could not predict how of CAW D.R.E.C. Donaldson Some called for a massive mindset council will vote today but he sensed The forum consisted of three guest excursion. Her hus- friends who remain shift surrounding the issue of waste citizens’ concerns with the notion of a speakers: Dr. Paul Connett, a graduate band, Greg, stood out within the sporting management that would trash the multi-million dollar incinerator as an of Cambridge University with a Ph.D. in the hall, looking fraternity in Oshawa, incinerator concept and instead aim answer to the problem of what to do in chemistry who has about 23 years slightly pale as the cashier rang let’s get in touch and bring me for a strategy of zero waste. That’s with the region’s waste. of waste management research expe- up the goods. up to date. I truly look forward directly at odds with regional coun- “I think the residents are worried,” rience; Rod Muir, waste diversion Quite frankly, after a discus- to this challenge. cil’s decision to establish an Energy said Neal. “There’s a lot of money See UNKNOWN Page 5 Mayor: Taxpayers to feel burden next year Recreation fee hike scrapped RECREATION From Page 1 Currently, adults pay between $12 and the amount of money the city can con- projects. the only one who fears council’s decision $30 to rent outdoor sports facilities while tribute to reserve funds, which means more “It’s going to be difficult,” he says. to reject fee increases in 2008 means it’s free for children and youth. The pro- debt will be incurred for future capital greater increases next year. posal would have seen adults paying “Increases are inevitable,” she says, between $13.50 and $40.50 in 2008 with adding that leagues like hers aren’t the increase growing to between interested in doing away with $15 and 50.50 in 2009. New fees increases altogether but rather would have been introduced for making fee hikes more reasonable. children and youth ranging McKay says she’d prefer to see between $5 and $17.85 in 2008 affordable annual increases and between $7.75 and $26.50 in instead of large ones that threaten 2009. Dairy Queen to deplete a league’s membership. The difference in price depends And Mayor John Gray agrees. on the field or ball diamond used. “Everybody can plan and man- The proposal would also have age modest increases,” he says, Tito-Dante seen increases in recreation pro- echoing McKay’s sentiments that Marimpietri grams such as Learn to Swim and robber nabbed last week’s motion just means Learn to Skate among others. postponing the inevitable. If implemented, the increases A 53-year-old Oshawa man is in police During that incident, a man entered the But councillor Tito-Dante would have resulted in an estimat- custody after the armed robbery of a down- store at about 9:50 p.m. armed with what the Marimpietri doesn’t believe recre- ed $370,000 in additional revenue town ice cream store Dec. 21. clerk described as a long, slim silver object. ation fee increases should ever be in 2008 and an added $320,000 in Almost three weeks later on Jan. 8, He demanded cash and made off with a necessary. 2009. Durham police arrested a male suspect with- locked cash register drawer. He attempted to “I’m very happy to see user “Council blew an opportunity to out incident while he was walking in a shop- smash the drawer on the ground outside, fees weren’t increased,” he says, assist the budget,” says Gray. ping mall in central Oshawa. near the parking lot of the store. The clerk adding that he’s not worried about Council has mandated a maxi- They identified the suspect from a store was not injured in the incident. the future because he doesn’t plan mum 4 per cent tax levy increase surveillance video taken during the evening A 53-year-old man, of Simcoe Street of Dec. 21 at the Dairy Queen outlet on South, has been charged with robbery and to ever support a motion that John Gray for 2008 and in each of the next Simcoe Street South in Oshawa. possession of dangerous weapons. would see them raised. Oshawa Mayor two years, something Marimpietri While he says he sympathizes believes is not only reasonable and with taxpayers who don’t use realistic but says, “It’s what is recreation facilities, Marimpietri believes needed.” leisure activities should be accessible to However, Gray believes council will School zone blitz nets everyone, especially children. have to approve sizeable reductions to Calling council’s decision to shun the service, postponing capital projects and fee increases “irresponsible”, Gray says possibly even job layoffs to achieve this. 1,881 traffic tickets it’s likely the 2009 budget will see a need “There is no other way to avoid (service for fees to increase even more than this reductions),” he says. A one-week traffic project has resulted in had his car impounded. The next day a fam- suggested for this year. Gray also says the decision will reduce more than 1,800 charges, most for speeding ily member was stopped and charged with near schools. driving 49 km/hr over the limit. Officers from across Durham Region A man was stopped in Whitby for speed- marked the start of 2008 by conducting a ing after he had just left the provincial one-week traffic enhancement effort called offences office where he had paid a ticket he “In the Zone.” had received for speeding in a school zone The project, which ran from Jan. 7 to Jan. in Oshawa, the day before. 11 had officers from across the Region tar- Another man was stop travelling more geting dangerous and aggressive drivers in than 90 km/hr in a posted 40 km/hr zone. or near school zones. During the investigation the officer Officers issued 1,440 tickets for speed- observed a video camera mounted on the ing, 28 tickets for speeding in a posted dashboard, pointed towards the front wind- Community Safety Zone, 54 for shield.