The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Shift in kindergarten age no surprise to Halton by Eric Elltone Halton educators deny they had substantial Indications before October that Ontario would order them to shut the door on some children starting kindergarten because of their birth dates In an October memorandum the provincial ministry of education told and other school boards to stop the practice of starting children In kindergarten in September when their fifth bir thdays are as late as the following February educators say the first they knew the pro vince was clamping down on the kindergarten issue was in October though the ministry held a May meeting at which the age question was discussed In fairness to the boards 1 have to say what we were doing was trying to determine the degree of the problem Central Region Director of Hon John Storey said in a telephone Interview Thursday He went on to say I am not aware of a board taking action based on the May region education council meeting Director of Education Em Lavender who missed the May meeting because of a previous commitment indicated he took his cue mainly from an education director in another jurisdiction who came away from the meeting with the Impression the kindergarten age matter was being discussed and no action was required He did nothing until the ministry memo That says to me that the meeting was Informational said Lavender He went on to indicate he had the minutes of the May meeting and Storey version of it which was told to Ontario Minister of Education Stephenson when trustees recently lob bied for a year s grace on the kindergarten age mat The ministry memo was a surprise not a total surprise said Lavender I knew It was under discussion Then are things in the ministry under discussion Then he went on to indie ate that many of the discussed itema do net result in action When asked if he had knowledge of the ministry intent before the October memo Superintendent of Special Education Hon Chapman said such an assertion was not true It a rumor that been flying around hero for months and it just not true said Chapman The Acton Milton and Burlington boards of education each had kindergarten entrance policies which allowed pupils to enter kindergarten in the school year in which they reached their fifth birth day by February 28 is interpreting the ministry memo as meaning youngsters entering kindergarten in September may have their filth birthday only as late as the end of the year trustees appealed to education minister Stephenson for a year extension of the local policy so that pupils enrolled In kindergarten arc not penalized by the enforcement of the ministry memo Provision for the action is In The Education Act section however for year has been a 11 owed its own way Regional Director of Education Storey pointed out that the kindergarten age matter was not new pro vincial policy It has been in the act since The responsibility for enforcement has been with local boards The provincial government provides grants to off set the cost of educating If Ha ton decided to fund classes for youngsters with birth days in January and February the cost would be according to one board official Storey said the October memo not written to get any one board The Halton board one of the boards in question From the ministry level Storey indicated he re ceived four or five letters from boards requesting Interpretations of The Education Act because they were considering changing the date of kindergarten enrolment Without a uniform period of starling children in kindergarten Storey asked the question Why not allow them in a whole year The reason according to him Is that the ministry would find Itself in a day care situation According to Oak lie trustee Bill Herd who was chairman of the Halton board last year executive committee probably was aware of the May meet log however he said he docsn remember It as a confrontation or last chance meeting Herd who said he agreed with the ministry said I think they should be have been a little more doesn show much compassion One more year isn t going to upset the balance of payments he said An Inland Community Newspaper Out Hundred and Sixth YearNo 31 ACTON ONTARIO WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 11 Jennifer McNabb shares valentine sweets with her favourite valentine grandfather Harold Morris Valen tines day this Saturday Photo by LYNDA HILL Fran carries Conservative flag Well known Georgetown resident and Tory sup porter Fran Balnea wonher bid for the Halton- PC nomination She will lead area Conservatives In their fight against almost certain liberal opponent Incumbent Julian Reed During the nomination meeting at E C School Milton Balnea was successful in defeating Milton councillor Brian Penman In his speech nominating as candidate for the riding Graham Goebeloutllned years of political experierce and described her as a strong Tory supporter both in federal and provincial campaigns I feel Fran can defeat Julian Reed at the polls giving Bill Davis a majority govern ment said The nomination seconded by Held Piped into the auditorium with a cheering crowd waving posters and other campaign material told the crowd a Conservative government is the only answer for the future of Ontario adding a majority Conservative government is also vitally important to the future of the entire country Increases in the civil service and deficits under a federal Liberal government were attacked by Baines who compared the figures with decreases and savings In the province of Ontario under a Davis government I believe we must accelerate this process and en sure taxpayers are not paying for more government than they want and need while at the same time en inside Halton Hills proposed bylaw on lodging stan dards falls short of the mark according to one resident Read Dawes observations on page MP Otto Jellnek learns about Acton a concerns for the nations constitution See story on page 3 Regional Police officers agree on a now salary contract See details on page The Acton Boys Brigade holds Its first parade See story on page the services needed by the young the elder ly the handicapped and the III and by the ordinary taxpayer are provided This is a delicate balancing act but one that must be undertaken A majority Conservative government can do It told the audience Although Baines admitted there are problems in the present health system she commented favor ably on it the needs of senior citizens and tion Sixteen years ago there were only 36 senior citizens apartments in Ontario Today there are 35000 In the next years it is projected Ontario s senior citizen population will double and I believe our Conservative government will plan ahead to meet the future needs of these people as they have done In he past Baines said Nominated by Dr Victor Parks Brian Penman was described as a man of unquestioned integrity and as a strong leader for the riding Having lived most of his life In the riding and with five years political experience Penman said he felt he understood the uniqueness of each municipality and the problems and frustration residents under regional government face Regional government has failed the people of Penman said He said the problems with regional government Is apparent throughout the province with news of staff Increases inept management and growing deficits Common within regional municipalities We need to look at setting up a review board to really look at the problem Penman said He said often nothing has been done to solve the problem and are area municipalities are left pick up the burdens of regional government The Penman said Penman of the erosion of property rights through bureaucratic agencies and boards making it difficult for the individual to deal with their own property Single Issues are a way of life In this riding I can t think of a single riding with more Penman said Following the announcement that has been elected as candidate Penman asked the crowd lining the walls of the auditorium to unanimously accept the nomination No figures were announced Over 250 attend Police open house a huge success by Gord Murray GREAT That and a dozen other ad was the watchword for what happened Friday in Acton Well over Acton and area residents dropped by the Acton Legion Friday mor rung and evening to meet the Halton Regional Police Everyone agreed the result was much improved relations between the force and the community Police and residents alike were stag gered by the response of the community While everyone involved had hoped and expected Acton to turn out there were nagging fears that apathy would ruin the open house Right from the start of the morning session it was clear the day would be great Police were putting the finishing touches on the displays when the first residents arrived From then on Actonians just kept coming to the Legion There any special presentations just police brass and officers mingling with groups of three or four residents Many citizens stayed for an hour or more making e they met every officer in a uniform or wearing a name tag Some who came in the morning returned for the evening session br the rest of their families Chief James Harding deputy chief Bob Mid daugh Inspectors Ray An dress and John a trail district commander Matt public officer Sergeant Al McQueen crime tion officer for the north Jeanctte Sykes and her squad colleagues safety officer Raj and criminal investigations head Staff Sergeant Ron Southgate were all on hand As well at various times moat of the dozen officers assigned to cover Acton this year their supervisors and other policemen attended The officers heard very few specific complaints or concerns about police operations in Acton and area A few merchants however were concerned about loitering downtown And one man did not like an officers manner when he received a ticket Residents also asked now that the force has a new station in Georgetown to serve Hills will the Acton office remain open Harding said there is no intention to close the Acton station We heard a lot of good things Harding declared He explained many residents said there have been communication problems and they were leased 16 see the force make the effort to get to now the town Many observed communication is a two way street and with the police making an effort to meet Acton half way they 11 now try and com more with the officers Harding and his men explained their operations in Acton the fact there are two zones which are Man fined for warning shots A shooting incident In Acton nearly two years ago has resulted in a fine of and a year s probation for former Acton resident Coslmo former owner of the Dominion Hotel came to trail Monday at County Court in Milton to face a reduced charge of using a firearm in a careless manner Previous charges included in tent to cause bodily harm and pointing a firearm Mereuri pleaded guilty County CourtJudge J D Carnworth said he felt the accused should realize the gravity of the of and the inherent danger of firearms Defence counsel Mike maintained the shots fired were warning shots but Judge Carn worth said he had never understood what warning shots were and added Mereuri second shot through a truck windshield was too accurate a warning shot The Incident sparking court action occurred March at the Mercurl residence at R 4 Acton According to police reports fired two shots at Gregory Tucker with a bolt action calibre rifle The second shot pierced the windshield of Tucker truck while he at the wheel lawyer described the actions of his client during the night of March 3 and and con tended was under provocation A domestic dispute between Tucker and his wife an employee of the Dominion Hotel created the furor Tucker was described by Moldavcr as intoxicated and abusive at the hotel before he was forcibly ejected The ensuing early morning hours were spent by Mereuri attempting to protect Mrs Tucker and her three children from the attacks of her husband cording to the lawyer The four were given refuge at the Mercurl residence where Mr Tucker attempted to communicate with his family in a threatening manner Mo Ida said Two attempts at obtaining police restraint for Tucker produced nothing according to Moldaver although police reports indicated constables on duty attempted to talk to Tucker Constable Scott Pringle reported a phone call from at a m and advised him under no circumstances to use firearms to protect his proper ty Constable Robert Andrews on duty at a when Mereuri brought Tucker In to police head quarters for detainment indicated Tucker did not appear to be inloxicated and he felt he talked Tucker out of returning to the home to see his wife However Tucker did return to die residence where Mercurl appeared at the door of his home withorlfle Soon the two shots werefired Moldaver asked for a conditional discharge due to extreme provocation Crown attorney John Ayre requested a substantial fine be imposed because of the degree of carelessness and the potential seriousness of the accused actions Region tax jumps 68 per cent by Jim Robinson According to preliminary budget estimates the Halton Regional levy increase will be a stag per cent for Georgetown and Acton This Early spring Some robins are crazy Yes they are Even nature creatures can be a few bricks short of a load One mildly insane robin Been chirping around the Cook Street residence of Helena Van Tuesday morning a mere three hours before a nasty wet slushy February snow storm dumped several more Inches of winter on us He was sitting there as if he was telling me something said Mrs Van der remarking she thought the robin presence was a sign of an early spring Could be a misguided robin with a lousy travel agent though would mean a hike of on this average home for regional costs alone excluding and municipal costs as well as the per cent salary hike over two years granted Friday to Halton Regional Police The percent increase which would mctn an in crease from 33 In to in for a house assessed at is cited in a report by Ac ting Treasurer Jim Stewart On the whole the draft regional budget shows In creases from million last year to million this year or a hike of 22 per cent but Stewart told this newspaper the final tally will be closer to 31 per cent due to less than expected support grants one of which was a Federal Government grant for social services was terminated four weeks ago by Deputy Prime Minister Allan The Health and Social Services Department at Region needs million to operate and million is being set aside for homes for the aged Ratification of a new Region Police salary increase on Friday will have a significant part to Continued on page never down They pointed out some reasons why they are sometimes slow responding to calls like having to handle higher priority calls The men assigned to Acton are instructed to get out of their cruisers and walk the streets talking to citizens as much as possible The chief noted a number of people who attended the open house told him that since the publicity about the 12 officers and seeing them the past month they are getting to know their policemen Acton is much different from the south In Burl ington or Harding explained people just want a policeman they don care if they know him However In Acton the residents want and need to know their officers perfectly understandable The force views Acton as a tremendous training ground for its officers a place where men can be sent to develop human skills by interacting with the citizens In Acton residents want to know about officers their families where their wives work where their children go to school and Harding thought that was great Some residents wondered if a year from now the officers would be moved The answer is no the chief said He explained a couple may be promoted a couple more may ask for transfers to the south where the police work is more exciting When of fleers are promoted or transferred they will be replaced with men who will be posted to Acton for an extended period of time Also as has happened already once in a while this year an officer who isn among Acton will be ent in for a shift because there t anyone else available due to days off training sessions sick leave court ap pearances etc The police found residents were interested In the crime prevention display as well as safety pro grams The displays showed how people can protect their property from thieves be good neighbors and keep police informed on suspicious activities in their area etc Unfortunately the entire crime prevention display be brought to Acton this time part of it is at the Ontario Police College police are proud of the fact they are the first force asked to send their display to the police school Harding said he would have liked to report every one of his men volunteered to come to the open house But they had misgivings about what they face They were surprised We are really pleased by the warm reception we Several observed that residents did not have specific to discuss However because residents appeared In such a large number that was a demonstration of their wishes to improve relations with the force It began in November when local businessman Lome who attended both the morning and evening sessions put the rap on the force through a letter to Harding and this newspaper Among other things he suggested Acton might need vigilantes the officers involved in the com munity and maybe the OPP was needed back in Ac ton Harding was at first defensive saying he was tired of Acton bellyaching and later writing Doberthien and the Free Press saying over of his men live in Hills and arc active in the com munity maintained he was reflecting the views of many residents and regional councillor Continued on 2 Regional Police Chief James Harding thanks Lome for making the force aware of Acton concerns about policing