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www.georgetownraidersjra.com GEORGETOWN JUNIOR A GAME OF THE WEEK GEORGETOWN TOYOTA GEORGETOWN JR. A RAIDERS vs BRAMALEA BLUES Saturday, September 20, 2008 7:30 pm Mold-Masters SportsPlex (Alcott Arena) Independent & Free Press, Wednesday, September 17, 2008 3 When teenager Lauren Harrison looks out her classroom window this fall, the view will be vastly different than the one shes experienced for the past three years at Acton District High School. The 17-year-old Harrison has been accepted into the Nova Scotia-based West Island College Class Afloat education pro- gram, meaning shell spend half her senior year of high school on a tall ship named The Concordia. A group of about 48 students will sail to 22 ports in five months on the Atlantic Ocean, from France to Brazil, covering the Grade 12 curriculum along the way in a classroom on the 180-foot-tall ves- sel. Shore time will also serve as school time, with the construction of a school in the African country of Senegal on the itiner- ary as a humanitarian project. Its going to be pretty rigorous. I have to take 11 courses, which is going to be tough because we have to keep our average over 80 or we get kicked out, Harrison said. We also have to clean the ship every day and from what Im hearing its going to be intense, but I think itll be worth it. Harrison departed from St. Pierre & Miquelon last week and is scheduled to make ports of call in Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Morocco, Senegal, crossing the Atlantic to finish the tour in Cabedelo, Brazil in late January. The group will then return to Canada and complete the second semester in Lunenburg, N.S., while The Concordia takes on a class of Grade 11 students and sails back to its home base by the end of June. Harrison, who would like to pursue a career in engineering or science, applied for the Class Afloat program for the Grade 11 year but wasnt accepted, so she cried with delight upon learning shed made it the sec- ond time around. Its going to be amazing. I have a motor- boat but Ive never sailed before, so itll be a lot of fun to learn, said Harrison, wholl be required to work and keep watch on the ship for a couple of hours on most days. I love traveling and meeting new peo- ple, plus it will really set me apart for uni- versity. I really love scuba diving and Im looking forward to stopping at the ports like Morocco where we can do that. Im a bit nervous about going and Im sure Ill get sick at the beginning. The first storm will be pretty terrifying. Ive been on Facebook with five of the other students and only one has sailed before, so I wont be the only one. The students underwent an extensive application process before being awarded the $18,000 scholarship. Harrison figures that therell be bouts with homesickness along the way too, having never been away for such an extended period. Being without family and friends will be weird and Im definitely giving up a lot at home to do this, she added. I ski five or six days a week and to not be able to do that all winter will be brutal. But when were in Nova Scotia, theyll be doing a lot of fun things like white-water rafting and one-day trips. Ill be making a whole lot of new friends and its going to be a once-in-a-life- time experience. (Eamonn Maher can be reached at emaher@independentfreepress.com) Acton student makes the grade on the high seas The tall ship The Concordia will act as a floating classroom for 48 students, including Actons Lauren Harrison. The local teen was recently accepted into the Nova Scotia- based West Island College Class Afloat education program. EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer LAUREN HARRISON NDP, Green Party bring back familiar faces Factors affecting the operating bud- get: dropping assessment growth projected at a lowly 2 per cent (only $500,000) from a high 4.4 per cent in 2006. decreased revenues in invest- ments income, $100,000 and corpo- rate revenues, $150,000 $140,000 increase in fuel costs and $140,000 increase for utilities $1.1 million in compensation costs inflation impact on goods and services To compensate staff will consider such things as increased user fees ($175,000) and increased parking enforcement. The budget will not include any staffing increases, program expansions or new equipment purchases. DeSousa warned budgets would not get any easier in the next couple of years, with projections of increases in the 4-5 per cent range for 2010 and 2011. Bonnette wondered whether the Town should be budgeting based on growth and the subsequent assessment dollars that fill Town coffers. To me I dont know if thats the right way we should be budgeting on how much growth we get, said Bonnette. I think it should be based on zero growth and if we get two per cent, then thats a bonus. DeSousa replied most municipalities, such as Halton Hills, base their budgets on assessment growth because its a source of revenue. He said staff could look at the alternative in future budgets. Were almost there (zero per cent) now, muttered the Mayor. The 2009 operating budget delibera- tions open on January 6 with a staff pre- sentation and public delegation night when residents can come have their say. Committee debate follows on Jan. 12 and 13, with council approval on Jan. 19. This coming years capital budget will be the highest in the towns history $25.4 million, said DeSousa. It includes $12 million for the expansion and reno- vation of the Cultural Centre and Library. A recent Investing in Ontario grant of $2.48 million will be split equally between 2009 and 2010 capital bud- gets, allowing more projects to be completed. The money wont go to the library project, because that would reduce the amount of development charges the Town could use to pay for its expansion and renovation. Budget committees (all members of council) consideration of the 2009 capital budget will begin on Nov. 17 and 18. Public delegation night will be on Nov. 17. Council approval is expected in December. Two additional candidates have entered the race for the Wellington-Halton Hills seat in the upcoming federal election. Fergus resident Noel Duignan is the NDP can- didate, and Brent Bouteiller, also of Fergus, is run- ning for the Green Party. Both Duignan and Bouteiller ran unsuccessful- ly in the riding during the 2006 federal election. Duignan, 59, was acclaimed NDP candidate at a meeting in Rockwood last Thursday. Duignan, formerly of Georgetown, previously served as NDP MPP for Halton North from 1990 to 1995 and ran federally for the NDP in both the 2004 and 2006 federal elections. He is separated, the father of four boys, and works as a real estate consultant/mediator. I decided to run because we need some lead- ership in Ottawa, said Duignan, adding the econ- omy is nearly in a recession. Bouteiller, 40, was select- ed as the Green Party candi- date in February. He is a pro- fessional engineer who has been practising transport- ation engineering since 1990, recently started his own prac- tice and is working on asset management of tangible capi- tal assets for local municipali- ties. He also runs a model railway retail business. He is president of the Community Resource Centre of North and Centre Wellington and been a member of Transport 2000 since 1990. He received his engineering degree from Carleton University. Bouteiller ran unsuccessfully as Waterloo- Wellington Green Party candidate in the 1999 provincial and 2000, 2004 and 2006 federal elections. He also ran unsuccessfully for a local council seat in Centre Wellington during the 2003 and 2006 municipal election. Bouteiller is married to Eliza Crosland. They have two children. He decided to run this time to continue, to build on the previous growth that we had. We want to get out there and present our message on a strong economy and a clean envi- ronment at the same time, he said. Candidates who have previously announced their bid for the Wellington-Halton Hills seat are incumbent Conservative Michael Chong and Liberal Bruce Bowser. NOEL DUIGNAN BRENT BOUTEILLER Capital budget highest in Town history Continued from pg. 1