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Raftis reelected regional chairman Burlington councillor Walter lost his bid for the regional chairmans post at Wednes days regional council meeting In a secret ballot councillors voted IS to in favor of Jack chairman for the past four In electing the regional chairman councillors had to move the nomination and then second it Burlington Mayor Bird nominated Mulkewich because he is a gentleman and a man of no malice Hes a politician but not a animal be stated seconded his own nomination There was some confusion as to who nominated Raftis but Burlington councillor Pat McLaughlin council be wanted to continue as chair man because he has done a good job the last four yean The amount of bashing lie s taken I dont know he added A councillor at the region for six years Uulkewicb maintained council Deeded an alter native and welcomed a change of leadership He said the Job of regional chairman should be one of thoughtful approach rather than shoot ing from the hip and hoping for the best Regional chairman is based on leadership he claimed not on behindthesceoe polities lie added the chairmans job shouldnt be part- time and that the time has come for fulltime leadership Part time leadership undermines the be said chose to stay away from the aspects of the job and spoke of the issues facing council in the next year I am at the region every day and I il work harder if Im reelected be said He believes the important issues facing Halton include the Business Advisory Committee Trade Show in 1983 where they will concentrate on assessment the budget the landfill site the study on the elderly as well as im proved health programs and the new lights rail transit system to run from to Hamilton Child abuse up 80 in North Halton area Chairman Jack by Diane Hart The number of child abuse cases jumped almost per cent in North Halton this year according to public relations spokesman Teresa at the Childrens Aid Society Unless there is a dramatic improvement in the economy she behev that figure can only go higher There were cases reported between January and October compared to in the same period last year Palomo claimed that there is no single factor accounting for the increase but speculated the economy is the big problem The stress of unemployment and additional pressure of being at home all the time makes peo ple at their kids she commented She added the Halton Children Aid Society has had workshops dealing with child abuse and But can t really say why there is such an in crease in North she admitted Region wide had had increases although Burlington is only other with an per cent increase has had a per cent Jump in cases The average increases in cases in Ihe region this year is per cent she said But Hamilton and Peel have also had increases Asked whether she thought the situation would improve in the winter she said she hoped it will stabilize Were stretching our resources to the max now Palomo said AU were doing Is cop ing the best we can The same thing is happening across the try she added Inside Six months from Georgetown to Acton C3 Outdoors C3 Fire prevention poster winners C6 GeorgetownActon Wednesday November 24 Region briefs Painting by Booth Hills councillor Roy Booth was one of four councillors who were presented with a ring with Helton Regions coat of arms on their retirement from regional council Booth who lias been recently for his lack of attendance at regional council unveiled his present to the region a painting entitled Communications which he painted Mm- The painting shows a sparrow on top of a hydro pole and Booth told council how symbolic the painting is The old pole symbolizes the county cracked and old but whattheregionwasbasedonhesald And the wires run both ways snowing should be a twoway thing Mayor Pete Pomeroy wished him oil the best In the future His attendance has been the subject of some controversy Pomeroy commented In his defence the painting is the reason hes missed New Region treasurer Joseph Hinaldo Is the new treasurer at Region of and will begin his duties in mid- December It was announced at Wednes days council meeting According to Chief Administrative Officer Dennis Perl In the new treasurer was the Director of Revenues in the department of finance in Ihe Regional Municipality of Hamilton Asks for representation Hills councillor Date Whiting believes that there should be regional repre sentation on the Social Services Grants Advisory Committee and added his support to other councillors The recommendation to add councillors onto the committee was passed at Wednesday council meeting With ihe amount of monies involved its imperative that theres representation from day one he said Grants are a horrendous Job but you have to have a line on it Burlington councillor Walter Mulkewich said he thought the grants have a great degree of political implication and that political representation is necessary The one councillor who vocally disagreed was Burlington councillor Joan Little who thought the only time the councillors would be needed was In the last stages No addition to pension A request by a regional councillor to add two years to his past service pension plan was unanimously rejected last Wednesday Burlington councillor Vera Connell Joined council in 1974 two years before the region became part of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System His previous two years are not counted in the pension Connell said that all his years serving on council should be added in for the pension The pension should include all councillors for all their years in he told council But Joan Utile from Burlington objected on the grands that other municipal employee may want the same The extra two years for Connell could have cost the region spread over four years Regional Police Chief llarding centre stands with Ha I tons Four police officers are currently part of the volunteer version of a SWAT team the Tactical find Rescue In operation Just a year the unit has been taking Were not a killer squad says tactical unit officer By Diane Hart What happens when an armed man runs through an apartment building and police dont know what floor hes on Or If someone has taken hostages and is holed up in an Isolated farm Or if man has suddenly fired a high powered rifle off the second floor balcony then randomly shoots into the apartment In any of these cases and theyve all occurred in local police officers would call version or a SWAT team the Tactical and Rescue Unit Were not a killer squad stresses Inspector Kent Ihe Halton unit It s not like SWAT Weapsons Assault Team I which is offensive he said In fact no shot has ever been fired in any opera tlon He added that sometimes the units mere prescncehelpsdlffusethesituation The unit has been operating in for just over a year although the 13 men and two com manders trained a full year prior to the actual start of it Four constables from Halton Hills 1 Division are on the unit Jack Pool Nick and Alec are trained to go at any time Don Cousins aba from 11 Division has recently been transferred to the framing part of the unit but is still officially with it All men on the unit have everyday duties as constables when the units not in operation The green suited heavily armed men were seen in Georgetown last weekend after a man had phoned police from Ihe Georgetown Motor Inn threatening tokillhisgirlfriendand himself The drama ended when a police negotiator con him to surrender and the man was found to have no gun Seven negotiators work closely with the unit but because of different nature of their work they are looked upon separately to the tactical part of the team All negotiators have been through training at the Canadian Police College in Ottawa When the unit is called they immediately secure an inner perimeter off all entry and exit to the area Laidlaw ex plained Then the senior officers meet for a briefing to find out the intelligence on the suspect and the particular situation Its essential to first find out if he is holding hostages is a known criminal or mentally de ranged or whatever the inspector comment That way we know how to approach the Two commanders control the operation The on scene commander of the division handles the ambulance media and everything other than the tactical operation The unit commander is in charge of the tacti cal operation According to Laidlaw there is rarely confusion about the chain of command because every police officer on the force has a directive the tactical units res ponsibilities The commander has to decide about the next step He has many options other than using us he can negotiate or throw gas Laid law said Were there merely as supporta highly trained alternative you might say The need for the uuit was not demonstrated by one particular incident according to Laidlaw But Ihe inspector said the Force wanted the unit as more of a support device Ithinkwe owe it to the community to have the unit he commented saying Peel Hamilton- Went worth and Toronto all have similar units And we owe The rescue part of the unit has not been used in the past year at all although says his men are trained for rescues So far theyve all been tactical opera t ions he One problem the unit has encountered is the geography of the region For instance it took the unit an hour to arrive at the Motor Inn in George town from where the van is stored in Burlington The training is rigorous and all the men have to maintain the same level of physical condition at all times As well as a five training period the officers have to go through one day training twice a month No women are on the team but main tains that if a women police officer could meet the physical standards then they would consider the a ion But none of the women have shown any in so far he added They also have to pass psychological test ob tain a recommendation from the division com manderandpasstheoral board This is on top of the five week training course they have to pass They are not paid its strictly voluntary said laidlaw adding the challenge is a good incentive But Its also the elitist aspect of the unit appeals to some of the men as well as thedesiretostay in top physical condition Obituary Scotsdale bequeathed to Queen following death of Mrs Bennett The community was saddened to learn of the death Mr Violet May Bennett at Toronto General Hospital on October IB following For use by the public For many years she and her late husband Stewart Gordon Bennett shared the enjoyment of their beautiful Scotsdale farm and their beef Shorthorn herd which had attained world wide prominence She was prececeased by her husband Stewart Gordon Bennett a former President of Beard more Co Limited and a former Vice President of Canada Packers toe and is survived by sister Kathleen of England and bar adopted brother Johnny Bole also of When her husband the late Stewart Bennett was President of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Mrs Bennett was instrumental in establishing the Overseas Register and meeting place at the Fair for overseas visitors and guests Both Mr Bennett had a great love for flowers and all nature in general She was a patron the Georgetown I Society and dona ted flowering crab trees for the Georgetown District and Memorial Hospital The care and of waterfowl was a special interest During the Second World War while she was a member of the Canadian Golf Team she made headlines In the Toronto Star She was runner up to Ada Mackenzie who won the Canadian Championship She raised money for a Spitfire and a Mobile Canteen Her sister Mrs London England found much to surprise she was working for the war out of this same Mobile Canteen Mrs Bennett was also a Director of the Ontario Shorthorn Lasslej The Executors of the Estate of the late Mr and Mrs Stewart Bennett have advised that iheir Scotsdale together with the contents furauhiogs and paintings have been bequeathed to Her Majesty be Queen through the Ontario Heritage Foundation for use by the public Hay Evaluation plan draws councillors angry fire A plan for secret evaluations of more than 800 employees ran into stiff opposition from committee members last week All three of the Regions standing commute- agreed to a deferral of the plan after expressing fears about a system that would catalogue workers as lacking potential for promotion and not giving him a chance to respond The plan was presented by Dennis Perl in chief officer to all three of the commit tees that it was designed to be an invun of the management skills of Regional staff listing the promotability of specific workers and their strengths and weaknesses That Inventory he said would then become the basis for decisions on future management development programs the Region and for future programs When the proposal was presented to members Ihe health and social services committee Burling on Walter raised the first lion There has to be a way to allow the employee to comment on this he said There may be a case where the employee thinks the manager is right off base Coun Carol Gooding also objected to the suggestion of keeping the evaluations from the review of the subjects 1 have a great deal of difficulty with a piece paper in somebodys file talking about their promotion qualities when they don even know about Regional chairman Jack Raftis said there may be some advantages to an evaluation system that reviewed by the employee Mr made the motion to have the plan submitted to Regional staff for comments be Tore it is approved by council adding that some form of review by the employ should be added We should at least fly it by them and see what they think Were trying lo eliminate some of the backlash that could happen Mrs Gooding add Coun Fred Oliver was one of the few who praised the system saying if this is handled appropriately it could benefit the whole organize lion by getting the square pegs in the square holes Its taken nine years for this organization lo get organized with the most expensive commodity that we have he added Members of the planning and public works and administration and finance committees supported sending the plan to employees for comment Did 527 not vote for Mayors spot Did people who cast ballots in the November municipal elections not vote for the mayoralty candidates This seeming mystery stems from the numbers of votes tallied for the mayors spot and the number of voters who voted According the list of results from the Return Officer Ken Richardson received votes and Pete Pomet received This adds up to but the number of voters who Either people refused to vote for mayor or some did not vole for mayor and other spoiler their ballots In the races where more than two candidates nought one seat the results show a lot of plump ing wenton favorite even when two votes for two different allowed In other straight two people race the number of votes cast add up number of voters except in the Acton hydro commission tally where Doug Mason received J and Wilfred a total of But 2496 votedlnthat ward meaning 103 did not vote for that particular spot In the global disarmament referendum Yes voles and no votes add up to 10 but 379 people voted overall This shows people cither did not vote on this question or deliberately rejected their ballots as a protest against the quo tionltieJf Analysis of the results showed Betty Fisher in capturing the Ward Three and Four school board sett took the highest percentage of Ihe vote She came out with percent of the vote cast white Mayor Pete came second with per cent of the popular vote