The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

§> SCHOOL SUCCESS www.cliisholmoontiv.corn (905) 844-3240 Chisholm M e rc e d e s B e nz Q .K.W . & D orval Dr. www.oakvillebeaver.com I L L E B E A V E R N O R ST AWARDED COMMUNITY NEW SPAPER 56 Pages $1.00 < Piusgsd A Metroland Publication Vol. 40 No. 54 "U SING C O M M U N IC A T IO N TO B U IL D B E T T E R C O M M U N I T I E S " WEDNESDAY, M AY 7, 2003 Youths' 911 call helps save life of drowning tot By Melanie Cummings SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER An eight-year-old boy and a sevenyear-old girl are being credited with help ing save the life of a toddler found floating in a backyard pool. The two youngsters called 9 11 and relayed vital information to emergency personnel. "Their quick reaction and knowledge helped to save the two-year-old boy's life," said Sgt. Val Hay of the Halton Regional Police Service. Their actions under pressure have earned them a civilian police award nom ination. said Sgt. Hay. The children's names and the identity of the victim are being withheld by police at the request of the family. The incident began last Saturday after noon when a father found his unconscious two-year-old son floating in their back yard pool near the Neyagawa Drive and Dundas Street area. The boy did not exhibit any vital signs and was cold to the touch. While the father performed CPR on the child, an eight-year-old neighbour visiting at the time called 911. The boy then handed the phone over to the seven-year-old sister of the victim, who provided the emergency operator with the home's address and all other per tinent details. The eight-year-old also rushed outside to direct rescue teams to the house. Fmcrvcrcy Medical Service arrived in minutes and began resuscitating the young victim on site. He was transported by ambulance to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital within 10 minutes, thanks to police officers, who closed off traffic along Trafalgar Road intersections. However, several uncooperative motorists hurled verbal insults at the offi cers. and failed to pull over to the side of the road to allow the ambulance easy pas sage. as they are obliged to do by law. said Sgt. Hay. "It is every' driver's responsibility to pull over and stop for an emergency vehi cle, and to obey police orders while direct ing traffic. "Decisions to shut down traffic aren't made lightly." added Hay. "Saving time is vital in such critical cases." The two-year-old victim is currently in Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children where he should make a full recovery. Council approves pesticide referendum By Kim A rno tt SPECIAL IX) I III: BEAVER To spray, or not to spray, that will be the question. Town Council has decided that vot ers in November's municipal election will be asked whether pesticide use on private property should be banned. The referendum question on the bal lot will read: "Do you support a ban on the use of pesticides (including products which control weeds, grubs, insects, crab grass and fungus) on private prop erty (excluding golf courses and farms), with a mechanism for limited excep tions for actual infestations of insects and diseases to be determined by the municipality?" While some councillors expressed concern that the question will derail an already-approved public education pro gram. the motion to place the question on the ballot passed easily. The result of the referendum will only be legally binding on council if at least 50 per cent of eligible voters come out to the ballot box to cast their opin ion. The town's average voter turnout for municipal elections is 33 per cent, with only 27 per cent of eligible voters cast ing ballots in the last election. Still. Ward 5 Councillor Jeff Knoll noted that a decisive result would pro vide council with a clear mandate and be "morally binding." The results could lead councillors elected in November to make changes to a two-year plan to eliminate residen tial pesticide use adopted by this council earlier in the year. On March 4, Council voted to under take a public education campaign this year, followed by a pesticide ban begin ning next April, for properties located within 50 metres of schools, hospitals, daycare centres, playgrounds, seniors' centres or anyone registered as medical ly at risk due to pesticide use. Finally, council asked town staff to (See Question' page A3) Oakville firefighters set up planks to walk over the hot liquid asphalt spilling from a rolled over tanker truck. Tanker spills molten asphalt A truck driver was airlifted to hospi tal Monday morning after his tanker rolled on the westbound Royal Windsor Drive ramp to the QEW. dumping liter ally tons of hot asphalt. Fortunately, the 32 year old Embro, Ontario man suffered non-life threaten ing injuries. Three years ago, shortly after the ramp's opening, an Ancaster driver was killed when his tanker rolled near the same spot. According to OPP Burlington Detachment Constable Karen Motz, M onday's mishap occurred around 7:30 a.m. when the driver of a tandem tanker truck owned by Brown Fuels Transport Ltd. of London, Ontario lost control of his rig on the westbound ramp from Royal Windsor Drive. (See 'Dam' page A 8 ) Decision on Lifecare inquest may be ready by next month By Jason Misner SPECIAL TO THK BHAVER It might be known as early as next month whether an inquest will be called into the deaths o f two Oakville Lifecare Centre residents. Ontario's acting chief coroner Dr. Barry McLellan said the investigation concerning two elderly males, who died while being transferred from the long term care facility during an snow storm in early April, could wrap up next month. At that point a decision to hold an inquest might be made. "That's an approximate time line," said Dr. McLellan about when the investigation might conclude. "I can't get more specific than that." Amid pelting ice, 87 Lifecare patients were removed and taken to other long-term care facilities April 4. The government said it needed the facil ity to house other long-term patients from Greater Toronto hospitals in order to free up hospital beds during a peak in SARS cases. The move has angered family members, of the patients. At the time o f the transfer, the (See 'Lifecare' page A3) Editorials................. A6 Mother's Day.............B1 Focus....................... Cl Classifieds.................C6 ArtScene.................. C8 Sports......................D1 Best Wheels..............D4 Mike Ivanin · Special to the Oakville Beaver Em ergency w orkers pull out the injured d river of the tan k e r truck. DELIVERY For home delivery A customer service call (905) 845-9742 Mm.. Tues.. & Purs. 9 a m - 6 p.m.. Wed A Fri. 9 cun. - 8 p.m. or Satunlay 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. For new subscriptions, cull (905) 845-9742 or subscribe online @ www.oakvillebeaver.com Partial Deliver): Sport Chck, Roiui- All Banners. Debut Golf. Di' Miir Gcrwrtrf Coniructiny\ Ridgeway Computers, Alexanuw Carpets, Rona Honw and Garden, The Bay. Mississauga Booster, Guantian Drugs. Home Defxn, Holland Park Gallery, Hy A Zel's Norseman Plasticsi Appleby Mall. White Rose, Maytag, Select Flowers Ganadrt'i Putticattom Man Proouc! Agraemant *<55-201 R A M A D A ® IN N & CONVENTION CENTRE O A K V I L L E Come See The Difference Riziero Vertolli · Oakville Reaver Hot liquid asphalt fills a ditch at the spill site. Riziero Vertolli · Oakville Beaver A road sign w arns drivers to slow down for the sh a rp tu rn on the easthound Royal W indsor Drive ram p to the QEW. 905-845-7561 · CARPET · ORIENTAL RUGS · AREA RUGS · HARD SURFACES M O M 'S M E G A M U N C H ! Q Medium Pizzas O Fresh Toppings Q (combined) Chicken Wings 355ml Cans of Pepsi Dipping Sauces Bag of Two-Bite Brownies! If f / f U G C 3 .c o m O Q pizza 'p iz z a AREA RUGS AND FINE CARF · O ntA»ic'f *1 P vrx(x> `A dditional 5Q % tf 0ur S048 ^ MOST AT AN °I^SirViIla?e 125 Cross Ave, O a k v ille (Across from Home Depotl 905.849.4472 ·S »»WWW |litJ * p iff« (« M I t f llf linnw ithanyother offor coupon, T w tmo «huiy Pi/mu U.r, ft (M ivrry**U .O H * . \ub|cK t torapirvw ithout nolle*. 9671111