April 28 – Milton, ON –
Tim DaSilva died in a tragic accident while building his dream; a place
for children, youth and their families to enjoy exercise, companionship
and the spirit of competition. His family has taken solace in
the fact that his dream had become a reality and a unique amateur sports
facility that anyone from across the GTA and beyond could enjoy.
Unfortunately the proper permit hadn’t been procured before he began
building on the private land. Now the Niagara Escarpment Commission
(NEC) is forcing the family to flatten their son’s dream in 49 days
or the owner of the private land will face stiff penalties.
“The track Tim created represented
a place where we could go to be near him. We feel closer to him there
than anywhere else. It was the last place he was happy and alive and
it was truly his dream to bring this facility to the families of southwestern
Ontario,” said Zira DiSilva, Tim’s mom.
When Tim died tragically, he
was completing his work on a BMX bicycle dirt track in Halton Hills.
Built on private land, at the owner’s support, the track was designed
with local, provincial and national level competition in mind, where
kids aged three and up could practice and compete. BMX is now
an Olympic sport and Canada is trying hard to catch up to the impressive
skills many other countries have been fostering for years. Tim was an
Ontario Quest for Gold recipient and a Team Ontario member and in an
Olympic year, it hurts all the more for the family and BMX community
to potentially lose a track that would help them gain the skills they
need to compete.
Tim died on July 15, 2006 with
the track, affectionately named “Tim’s Track” being completed
in September 2006. Unfortunately, the track has come under disapproval
and the decision has been made by the NEC to close it. The track
is constructed of native soil and pedal powered, non-motorized bikes
are ridden on it.
The family and the BMX community
are calling for support to have the track re-opened and the missing
permit granted. Not just for Tim’s family, but for the community
who benefits from having this unique recreational facility for amateur
sport that doesn’t exist anywhere else in Halton Hills and is in limited
supply in Ontario. Halton Place is very supportive of Amateur
Sports in Ontario and hopes to continue with the Tim DaSilva BMX Track.
The Tim DaSilva BMX Track Executive are currently attempting to be added
to the NEC Agenda for the next NEC meeting in Tobermory, Ontario on
May 14-15.
