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09 | 12 | 2015 VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 37
STUDENTS FACE EVER-GROWING DEBT LOAD VENTURE PAGE 17
COMMENT PAGE 8
BRESLAU PARK ISSUE A NO-WIN SITUATION FOR COUNCIL
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DRIVER KILLED IN THREE-VEHICLE COLLISION IN CONESTOGO
A 76-year-old Guelph man was killed Tuesday after a rear-end collision sent his vehicle into oncoming traffic on Northfield Drive just south of Conestogo around 5:30 p.m. The drivers of the other two vehicles involved in the collision sustained minor injuries. Speed and alcohol are not believed to have been factors in the accident, Waterloo Regional Police said. Charges are pending. [SCOTT BARBER / THE OBSERVER]
MORE PHOTOS PAGE 5
Taskforce split on Breslau school proposal Group leans towards backing sale of land, park redevelopment, but council seeking more information before voting STEVE KANNON The bulk of the community either opposed or indifferent to the project, a taskforce looking into selling Breslau parkland to house a new Catholic elementary school is recommending Woolwich go ahead with it. The split was apparent in the committee itself, with only three of seven
voting members in favour, while two are opposed and two undecided even after months of study. Mulling over a report Tuesday night, councillors said they needed more information before making a final decision. Presenting a pair of options – essentially yes or no – to council, the taskforce’s “yes” recommendation in-
cludes a list of caveats, including limits on expansion to the school site, mitigating traffic concerns by staggering the bell times between the new Catholic school and the existing public school, and the addition of a second playground on school property accessible to the community. The township needs to know if the Waterloo Catho-
lic District School Board will go along with the committee’s recommendations before voting on the issue, councillors decided, expecting to come back to the issue on September 29. The plan to sell parkland to the school board has been a divisive issue since it was first made public earlier this year. Even after township efforts to get the word out,
the community remains divided. Informal canvassing of households in Breslau by taskforce members netted 312 responses. Of those, 36.5 per cent were in favour, 34.6 per cent opposed and 21.5 per cent undecided. The remaining 7.4 per cent didn’t answer or register an opinion. The group also held a public consultation meet-
ing attended by some 60 people. All told, about 400 residents participated in the feedback process. Taskforce chair Sandra Hanmer said the group had hoped for a clear message from residents, but even its members remained split despite all the meetings and information available to PROPOSAL | 2