$1.00 Your Independent Local News Source Vol 3 No 17 Wednesday, Feb. 20 2008 Council to vote on 4.1 per cent tax levy hike By Jessica Verge the majority of council voted for a The Oshawa Express 4 per cent cap on tax increases in 2008. More than $2,000,000 in cuts Gray believes such a low to Oshawas 2008 budget isnt increase leaves the city with no enough to secure the money to invest in sav- citys financial future, ings, to use in case of says Mayor John Gray. emergencies or to We have eliminated address infrastructure every single bit of wig- needs. As well, he says gle room, said Gray fol- it could likely mean lowing councils second greater tax increases in day of budget delibera- the future. tions, which wrapped up And the lack of flex- Friday at 6 p.m. and is ibility has city staff con- scheduled to resume John Gray cerned. today at 2 p.m. Were not going to While the budget wont be be able to achieve future reduc- finalized until this evening at the tions of this magnitude without earliest, Oshawa residents are service reductions, said city currently looking at a 4.1 per cent manager Bob Duignan, adding tax levy increase. Earlier this fall, See TAX Page 5 Transit fares rise Photo by Courtney Duffett/The Oshawa Express By Courtney Duffett rising fuel costs are also having an Amelia Cranfield, Anna Scuhr, Jeff Spring, team mentor, Elizabeth Zhang and Jennifer Horawski are working on putting the base The Oshawa Express impact on transit costs. together of their robot, Wheres Waldo? Its just the cost of doing Local transit users will have to business, he said. Girls robotics team reaching for gold dig deeper into their pockets to Regional Council approved the ride its buses starting in July. fare increases at its council meet- Transit fees will rise about ing last week. three per cent effective July 1 to Adults will pay a $2.85 per Wheres Waldo? heads to Jersey keep up with infla- fare, up from $2.75. By Courtney Duffett usually take place in April. side and the building, the team also tion and the cost of Monthly passes The Oshawa Express The all-girls team competes in includes a business side, focusing providing a increase to $95 two competitions every year. For on fundraising, team image and Regional Transit from $92 and multi An all girls robotics team is hop- this competition, the robot, which public relations. System throughout 10-ride tickets to ing this will be the year they make can cost up to $6,000 and is built Team 1547, Wheres Waldo? Durham Region, $25.75 from $25. it to the championships. from scratch, will be working with began in September 2004 teaming according to a coun- Seniors over the Some 33 girls from Trafalgar up with General Motors to create cil report. age of 65 will be Castle School in Whitby will be the I hope this year will be the all-girls team. Their motto, Ted Galinis, general manager paying $1.85 per fare, up from only Canadian team heading for Girls Can, formed the foundation of for Durham Regional Transit, said $1.75, $38 from $37 for a month- New Jersey next week to compete the year that will take their goal to promote science and the collective agreement with ly pass and $17.50 from $17 for with their robot Wheres Waldo? us all the way. technology to women they chal- transit workers calls for a three multi 10-ride tickets. in a robotics competition against 45 lenge to strive beyond traditional per cent increase last year and Restricted students which is other teams from the United States. Laura Hildred gender boundaries. another three per cent increase valid Monday to Friday from 6 While winning smaller awards The teams goal is to inspire this year. a.m. to 7 p.m. and not available in in the past, the team has never qual- lifting and stacking large balls. girls to get involved in science, This is a reasonable increase July and August will pay $2.65 ified for the championships, which In addition to the engineering See TRAFALGAR Page 9 on our end, said Galinis, adding See RIDERSHIP Page 5 Photos courtesy Durham Regional Police Service Left: Beverly Smith with hew baby daughter. Above: Inside Beverly Smiths home where she was found shot dead near her baby in Devember 1974. 1974 unsolved murder re-opened Cops looking for new leads Since Durham Regional Police recently re- Members of Smiths family are asking the opened one of the longest unsolved murder public for help in finally solving the case. cases in Oshawa, several new tips have come Investigators are confident that science will forward and investigators are following up help solve the case and the investigation is new leads. continuing under experienced Detectives Leon On the evening of Dec. 9, 1974, Beverly Lynch and Doug Parker and Detective Smith was found murdered in her Raglan Sergeant JJ Allan. (north Oshawa) home, a few metres away from In May 2007, a dedicated investigative her 10-month-old daughter. team of 10 officers was assembled and more than 200 people were re-interviewed. All were asked to submit a voluntary sample of their DNA and finger- prints for comparison purposes. Smith was an attractive 22-year-old woman murdered in the prime of her life. She was married for only four years and was the mother of a baby at the time of her death. She quit her job to stay at home and This photo shows the outside of Beverly Smiths home located in Oshawa on Ritson Road North. raise her daughter. Her family and the night of her death. She was killed by a sin- crime and police are asking them to come for- friends have lived gle gunshot wound in the back of the head ward. There were many tips received during with the fact that her inside her residence. the previous investigations and police would killer has never been With the assistance of new evidence and like those persons to contact them again. All brought to justice. forensic technology, Durham Regional Police new leads will be investigated fully. Smith was at home say this crime will be solved. It is possible Anyone with new information is asked to with her daughter on there are people who have knowledge of this contact police at 905-579-1520. Charges laid in Internet safety investigation Durham police recently arrested Association of Chiefs of Police A 28-year-old woman from two suspects as part of a provin- (OACP) and the OPP developed a Whitby has been charged for one cial-wide strategy on Internet safe- systematic, victim-driv- count of possession of ty for children. en approach to the pre- child pornography and The Provincial Strategy To vention of child sexual one count of making Protect Children From Sexual abuse and exploitation child pornography Abuse and Exploitation on the on the Internet. available. Internet involved the Ontario The arrests coincided A 57-year-old Provincial Police (O.P.P) and 17 with Safer Internet Day, Oshawa man has been other municipal police services recognized in 43 coun- charged with possession across Ontario. tries to raise awareness of child pornography, The goal is to focus on child of Internet Safety for making child pornogra- pornography, luring and sexual Children and to make phy available and pos- abuse among children on the the Internet a safe tool session of a controlled Internet as an intregrated for childrens educational and per- substance. province-wide team. The Ontario sonal use. Page 2 FEB 20 2008 From factories to big box stores Vacant land caught up in court By Jessica Verge shortage of industrial lands, The Oshawa Express commissioner of develop- ment service Tom Hodgins Cleanup efforts are com- says the appeal is meant to plete on a former industrial protect employment lands site in the heart of Oshawa, for all of Durham Region but concerns from the and wasnt targeted specifi- province are keeping it cally at the city. vacant. Regardless, Oshawa will While environmental have to wait until the OMB remediation is finished on makes a decision before the the 46-acres, once home to land, the former General Automotive Component Motors battery plant, Systems of Canada Inc. becomes anything more than (ACSYS), the land vacant lots. And at the corner of that decision wont Ritson Road and happen soon. Adelaide Avenue is The case is on now the subject of hold until June an appeal to the after the region was Ontario Municipal instructed to pre- Board by the pare a study of Ministry of employment lands Municipal Affairs in Durham. and Housing. Hodgins says such The Ministry Councillor a study was stepped in when Louise Parkes inevitable, but the Durham Region, at city had hoped the the urging of the City of Oshawa properties Oshawa, attempted to amend would be approved for con- its official plan to convert version prior to its undertak- the zoning on that plot of ing. land, plus an area north of In the meantime, ACSYS Harbour Road and some CEO Bob McCabe says his space in Whitby, from indus- corporation, which still trial uses to residential or owns most of the land commercial. (Oshawa council approved The lands are within the purchase of three of the what we consider as an eight lots the land was divid- employment area, says ed into), is reviewing all David Sit, a senior planner their options for its possible with the Ministry.