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Coles reign finishes in controversial debate In bis characteristic style Haltooi Officer of Health Peter Cbte leaves the region this month with two controversial reco Today will be asked to encourage the prov to tto comprehensive steps to crack down on drinking and driving as well as to support the legalization of heroin to for relief in the terminally 111 Both recommendations were approved by the Health and Social Services Committee last Tuesday after some debate Cola came down bard on those who and drive in his proposals which include a oneyear licence for a first impaired driving conviction plus a lifetime suspension for a further conviction months in jail or refusing to take a police administered lest that doctors be empowered to take blood samples from unconctous victim in vehicle accidents for alcohol tests that the liquor Licence Board stop granting approval for Happy Hours In licenced establishments that the province put more money into promoting safe driving and moderation in the consumption alcohol and also require that alcoholic beverages be labelled with the warning Excessive use of this substance is harmful to your health Cole supports the legalisation of heroin with the strong backing of Ken Walker of Niagara Falls a syndicated newspaper widely diverging views in the medical columnist known as Gilford Jones community on the need for it According to Walker medical studies Heroin is legal for medical use in other indicate heroin is more potent as a pain re- countries notably Great Britain but I than morphine though there are currently illegal in Canada Peter Cole Fire damages way up The number of Ores in Bills this year is running ahead of the 19U pace and damage totals are up substantially Councillors recently received a report outlining the fire departments activities for the month of October from Halton Hills Fire Chief Bill Cunningham A fire department press release noted that October had been the worst month of the year so far for fires Up to the end of October of this year volunteer firefighters in Acton and George town had responded to calls compared to after the first 10 months of Damages in fires have also soared The damage total has leaped from between January and the end of October of 1981 to in the same time period this year So tar this year five people have died in fires in Hills and 10 firefighters have been injured on the Job As well members of the public have been hurt in blazes Last month there were fires in Halton Hills compared to the same month last year Of the October eight were building fires and two were open fires The other were classified as other Two fires were the result of negligence and nine were produced by poor maintenance Another nine October blazes were the result of accidents while 10 were classed aa other Police sword not weapon Police are ordering a commem orative sword but theres no danger It will be swinging at the public A letter from Police Chief James Harding asked the Towns permission to use the Town coat of arms on the sword It will accompany the coat of arms belonging to all the Towns who make up Region The sword will be for decorative purposes only and negotiations are now going on with Wilkinson Sword Co newsmakers GeorgetownActon Wednesday December7 1983 Halton makes second domebid Metro Toronto has made a fast break to wards the goal line in the provinces domed stadium game but Halton Region is dogged ly clinging to Jersey In a bid to pull ahead Key points In Metros bid to have the dome located at the Canadian National Exhibition grounds are its proximity to existing transit routes and a proposed lottery backed by twelve leading corporate sponsors that pro mises to raise million towards the cost of construction In a supplementary submission the pro vincial governments Stadium Study Committee has responded to both areas of concern ones that were raised when Halton representatives made their first pitch to tha committee October Accessibility of the stadium to Toronto rest dents plus construction funding from other than tax revenues are both favoured is trying to brighten its chances by endorsing the Metro lottery proposal and the new submission encourages the committee to consider the proposal wherever the stadium Is to be located Metros lottery suggestion has the support of McDonalds Canada Ltd Dominion Stores Canada Ltd CocaCola Ltd Canadian Tire Corp and other major corporations new submission says that while the region has contacted only two of the more prominent of these prominent firms it feels the corporations will take part in the scheme regardless of the stadium loco lion During the regions initial presentation committee members expressed concern that many Toronto residents may have trouble getting to proposed site at the intersection of and the proposed A 1979 survery indicated per cent of Metro households do not own auto mobiles la suggesting major transportation companies can provide special service to the site with minimal inconvenience Presently such services are provided to CUE stadium in Toronto Kingswood Music Theatre at Wonderland and Ivor Stad ium Hamilton for various events the submission says The submission also notes the site Is along the northern route of the proposed GO- ALRT line which will link it to City Centre North York and Scarborough Town Centres The Stadium Study Committee is expected to make its recommendation on the dome stadium location sometime in early in and has to choose from a number of muni cipal bids Raggedy Ann and Friend beg to be cuddled In this oil painting Eunice Melton Many other- Citizens blast land purchase munici complex at dro Council urged to fix Trafalgar Rd offices It is ridiculous for councillors to say they can I fix up and expand the 20yearold Tra falgar Town offices when Ted Tyler and his group arc obviously succeeding In re storing the over 100yearold town hall in Acton Thai observation was made by Acton resi dent John McHugh at Fridays council drop- in attended by about 15 Acton and taxpayers alliens at the dropIn agreed with Mcllughs comment noting group is restoring the old hall for less than half the money that council said it would take to fix it up The citizens criticized councils purchase for Ihe Stevens property down the road from their present quarters for and plans lo build a municipal complex there in the future Councillors Ross Miller and Rick attended the drop- In while Councillor Dave Whiting was away on vacation and Councillor Jake Kuiken was tied up with business listen to the people Miller observed councillors should be list to the publics input and if they had for the last year the Town coffers would have in it that wont be there after the land purchase closes next March resident Ralph Denny said a letter from Georgetown Hospital adminis trator Fred Morris praising the controver land purchase and plans to build a com plex published jn local newspapers show theresonly two areas of Hills Acton wasnt mentioned Give councillors bell It Is time for citizens to give councillors hell Tom Watson said and he suggested Town fathers and mothers get used to being in hot water because theyll be hearing a lot more from people in the near future He showed the councillors a pile of peti tions which he reported were signed by per cent of the residents of and area He sold the remaining taxpayers in the area who sign the petition werent home when citizens came to their doors Councillors had plenty of time to go to the public and find out what they thought of their action and plans but Miller said he knew citizens wanted no part of the Stevens property purchase but he and colleagues Rick and John McDonald who also opposed the deal were being made to feel like they are crazy their fellow councillors Just because they listened to the people Former Acton councillors like and Pat McKenzie always thought when the time came to expand Town offices it should be done at the Trafalgar Rd site but now they too were though of as having been crazy by todays councillors Miller de dared Knechtel shot back that no councillor has said that and Miller countered that by the way the majority voted in effect that was what they were saying Knechtel said all he was doing was disagreeing with Millers view and that was no reason to coll him stupid Following up on Watsons comments re garding the response to the petition in Lake view Christine Houston said she isnt find big support for councils salons as she clr the petition In the Churchill North area either Millersaidlhereisstrong response to the petition in and around Georgetown fresh petitions are being taken regularly to a store in Glen Williams The Town staff has taken over from the Continued on Page BZ Georgetown LTD Wourrt H Toronto Una Union heats up debate on Manor absenteeism Staff at Halton Centennial Manor and their supporters have fired their first at Regional Council in the continuing battle over employee absenteeism at the ban for the elderly a written statement to the Health and Soda Services last Tuesday fte reddest desire to fire employees accused I chronic absenteeism was condemned by Robert Sleva from Local 101 Canadian of Operating Engineers and General Workers which represents service and staff at the Manor Given extensive amount of time and effort both Uw union and management bare spent fa this are of labor relations the union can only express the greatest degree of contempt for council members such and Ms Joyce SmoUem who he said problsc af one time there wen curds with which warranted mm Ha said proved that only a small percentage fan atnaan and often off for legitimate reasons such pregnancy or surgery This contradicts statements by the Manors outgoing administrator Rick Kauf man that the 34 have shown persistently poor records over the last four years He said typically sick leave was taken to create long weekends Sleva said the statements by council members had seriously strained relations between union and the region and that they had painted all Manor employees with same brush His sentiment was shared by Alice Lee a shop steward at the Manor who said in an interview They arc lumping us to gether and people are upset She said a majority of sick leaves wen certified legitimate by the family doctors On two occasions when employees were fired for griev Bled sod both wen re instated with pay be arbitrators she said At the centre of storm are problems of relations between the union and Manor ad with the region said Lee as well as a vocal supporter of the employees on council Mil ton representative Bill Johnson Johnson said that since last winter he has received repeated complaints from em about actions taken by management at Manor Including employees were ordered to use only staff parking lot at a time when it was buried in snow due to budget constraints evening meals were discontinued for staff staff were banned from making tea or coffee during shifts for either themselves or ctscktng tbe whip with petty regoatiJ This is not a correctMud tostltlQo for Godll sake be said Lee said staff morals was km and Johnson said it would not be long before patient can was admty affected Johnson said it Is a mistake to compare Manor workers other em ployees because their working codUw A report by Director of Per sonnel M was made public two weeks ago and it revealed that in 1982 other regional employees took an average of sick days off work while service and main tenance employees took 18 The amount of absenteeism and related loss of productivity in the Halton Centennial Manor Is very serious he said Johnson disputed this saying The em ployees do an outstanding job They do a Job that Is not expected of any other region- employee Nobody has violated the collective aggreeme he pointed out Manor employees work rotating shifts and Ihe home is in operation a day year round According to Lee this plus heavy lifting and exposure to patient Illnesses re- in stress and sickness amongst employees Added Shift work at tbe best of times Is a strain on family life is hard to hare a life If your days off are Tuesday and Wednesday if your friends are and Sunday Region Briefs No free lunch Free lunches at the regional watering trough may to an end for conn reporters and staff if the Adminl and Finance Com mil tee gets Its The committee Is recommending those who partake of noon hour meals at the re expense pick up the tab at a cost of six dollars a month from now on spent over this year pro lunch for politicians media and stall who stayed over the lunch hour for meetings The meals cost from three lo six dollars per person and were provided as a courtesy because of the distance people attending meetings had to travel from home said Chief Administrative Officer Dennis who recommend the change dont know of any businesses that provide free lunches for employees said Burlington Councillor Joan Little Councillor Pat McLaughlin disputed the need to charge for a courtesy that wasnt being abused I think this whole thing is a crock he said of the proposal No summer schedule When regional councillors take sum mer holidays this year they may be able to rest content that Haltons business will go on without them Council will be asked today to approve a 1984 schedule that will see no break In council and committee meetings through July and August despite the vacation plana of politicians Oakvllle Councillor Carol Gooding had recommended the Administration and Finance Committee cut summer meet ings by half as Is done in the Town of but her colleagues were cool to the idea Councillor Joan Little stated council business such as contract approvals were ongoing and should not be delayed unnec essarily Said Councillor James Grieve Its pretty hard when you arc dealing with some to have to say Sorry hove to wait a few more weeks un til we have another meeting Mopup needs topup Disaster Relief Grant Fund should gel a fiQO0 Infusion to cover grants paid out to Georgetown home owners plagued by flood damage August Grants of up to were paid out to 28 homeowners in town to help relieve them of thecosts of damage and cleanup when a heavy rainfall that holiday weekend re sulted In sewer overflows The fund established by Halton region In 1982 Is lo be built up to a total of by 1985 The Administration and Finance Committee is recommending the fund be topped up to bring it up to its pre flood level Costs increase It looks like It will cost local Industry more to ship garbage to Regional landfill operations in the coming year A charge or 18 per tonne Is being recommended to council by the Admini stration and Finance Committee to cover new and expanded programs in 1964 The current charge is IB per tonne but ihe committee says an increase is needed to cover In construction at existing Halton landfill sites plus the regions interim disposal method thai must begin operation by midyear Coun cil hopes to expand the Burlington land fill site Tor three years Contract signed children who cannot live at home are on bail or are leaving the care of the Childrens Aid Society now have another hostel to provide them with temporary shelter and care Regional councillors recently approv ed a purchase of service agreement to finance a In Burlington operated by Community Resource Services of Halton and tbe CAS Restbtets of the facility will be charg ed tan a month and the region will pay day to cover tbe cost of shelter and persona provincial Ministry of Community and Soda Servic pays M per cent of total cost of the program