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The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday September 6, 2003 - 27 The call of duty Oakville firefighter volunteers for six-month military posting in Bosnia BY ROBB SWYBROUS SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER A veteran Oakville firefighter is getting ready to battle blazes of a different kind in the war-torn nation of Bosnia-Herzegovina in eastern Europe. Willy McCarroll, a 49-yearold Burlington resident and fire fighter with the Oakville Fire Department, takes off later this month for a six-month tour as Camp Sgt.-Maj. in Banjaluka, a city in the northwest part of the nation. "I volunteered to go. This is quite a high-profile position," said McCarroll, who has served more than 20 years in the Canadian Armed Forces as a reservist. "I'll have a command ing officer who I will report to. My job will be to ensure camp security, discipline. It's an inter nal position." McCarroll said the camp is filled with soldiers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Holland as part of a joint-forces peacekeeping mission. He took an official leave of absence from the fire department to serve overseas and will leave behind his wife, Ellen, and their five children ranging in ages from 20-12. His official tour starts Oct. 2 and runs until April 9. "I'll miss them for sure," he said. "The first couple of weeks won't be so bad. It's when it gets into the Christmas season when it will get harder." Ellen is used to her husband being away from the family for short periods of time. As a reservist he has been called to serve domestically to help out with the ice storm a few years ago in eastern Ontario and Quebec and other domestic crises. "I'm supportive. I'll miss him but the kids are older now so they'll be able to pitch in," she said. "We'll just take it day-byday and hopefully the six months will fly by. I just told him to come back in one piece." McCarroll said it's likely he'll get a 15-day leave midway through his mission and be home for a visit sometime in the new year. Although he is going to a part of the world that has been rife with civil war and carnage, McCarroll is sure he'll be able to heed his wife's wish and return safely to his Burlington home when the mission is over. "Things are stable there now. Obviously the threat levels aren't the same as they were back in the early '90s," he said. Willy McCarroll indicates on a map where he will be stationed as Camp Sgt.-Maj. in Banjaluka in Bosnia-Herzegovina. f nJ a d ve rtise m e n ts Q u e s tio n : Why do I need a Personal shopper or Fashion consult ant? A n s w e r: _ t K ,, T CIM B L E-MAIl. ew en.aneell@ sym patico.ca TM w w w 4 e llm o rtg a g e ,c o .n a A: Too good to be tm e? A " no-downpaym ent" mortgage that actually lets you borrow m ore than the hom e's value? To most ol us, (tie idea ol i mortgage Dial actually lets you borrow more than the value ol your home sounds l ie one ol the tall tales your unde used to tell you when you were a kid. Canadians are. after al. very practical and generally conservative and it it sounds too good to be true... it probably Isn't true But out ideas about mortgages have been mstilled by years ot past expenence with traditional products in traditional institutions. Investment products have certainly come a long way since I960. And so have mortgages. It is now possible - right here in Canada - lo gel a mortgage tor more than the value ot your home. In addition to having lunds set aside to cover closing costs, we've been conditioned to expect to lay down a minimum 5 or 10 pet cent downpayment to get into the home ownership game. This was a well-recognized standard lor many years. By law. a Canadian bank is not permitted to offer a mortgage lot more titan 75 per cent of the value of a home without mortgage insurance Even then, mortgage insurers do not go beyond 95 per cent. But while banks still provide a great many mortgage options to Canadians, they ate now joined by othet types ot lending institutions. Not surprisingly, this is where som e ol the most innovative options. I* e no downpayment mortgages, are being developed today. It's good news lot prospective home buyers w ho have felt shut out of home ownership by the need to save for a downpayment Renters with steady incomes but little savings can now start « put their monthly cheque towards building equity in an appreciating asset. With today's lending rates still low. and with house prices still strong, mote and mote Canadians don't want to wait lot home ownership Many worry that they w ont be able to find an affordable home by the bme they've saved enough for a downpayment Ttie hurdle ol that first downpayment can also be particularty frustrating lot young people who have begun to enjoy the good incomes that come with an education - but who have been paying oft their school loans while they watch house prices climb higher and higher Their future prospects are excellent, but their savings are non-existent. A no downpayment mortgage can put them into a home right away No downpayment mortgages were desqned to help qualified individuals step qmckty into home ownership. And while these mortgages come with a higher lee, t b s cost is covered by the addibonal mortgage amount. 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