Achilles Mazda of Milton 1195 SteelesAve East, Milton ON L9T2X8 289-627-1800 or 1-866-620-3248 www.achillesmazda.ca • info@achillesmazda.ca MAZDA'S SALES EVENT GET IN GEAR PURCHASEFINANCING✝ SIGNINGBONUS♦ GET UP TO A % + $1,000 ON SELECT MODELS UNRIVALLED SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY GT models shown Mazda3 Mazda6 ENDS APRIL 30TH REFINANCING? PURCHASING? BOBWOODS, Broker (905) 877-1490 360 Guelph St., Georgetown Five Year Variable FSCO #10259 Division of 1490845 Ont. Ltd. 2.3%2.64%2.64% Fixed Five Year • your window & door professionals • 341 Guelph St., Unit 3 Georgetown 905.873.0236 www.buy-wise.ca info@buy-wise.ca • awarded readers choice 22 times • Visit our showroom Thursday, April 23, 2015 Halton Hills' award-winning newspaper serving Acton & Georgetown 72 Pages 50 Cents (+HST) Wheels.ca Eight pages inside Visit us at www.theifp.ca facebook.com/Independent&FreePress Twitter: @IFP_11 Volunteers serve Local volunteers receive the Ontario Service Award See pages 22-23 Community action Our MPP, Mayor and Norval Community Association work together to help out a child. See page 3 Teacher talks continue in Halton-- so far Public high school teachers are on strike in Durham Region, and those in Sudbury might walk off the job next week, but there are no such firm plans, yet, for Halton public school board teachers. Ontario Secondary School Teach- ers' Federation (OSSTF) District 20 Halton Local President Brad Fisher said Monday he plans to meet the board's bargaining representatives, as planned, this Wednesday (April 22). (Details were unavailable before The IFP's press time). Meeting dates are also set into May. Fisher said nothing of note came out of an approximately six-hour meeting between the two sides on April 15. "There were no major changes in positions, no major agreements. We're still talking. It's a slow, steady process. We might have something to say by Thursday (April 23)," said Fisher. The Local president said the union has daily contact with the board on is- sues not related to bargaining. OSSTF Halton represents 1,300 permanent full- and part-time high school teachers at the Halton District School Board (HDSB). Halton Secondary Occasional teachers (HSOT) is an affiliate of OS- STF District 20. It represents about 600 occasional teachers who fill in for permanent teachers when they are absent due to illness or leaves of ab- sence. Tom Beer is the president of HSOT. The HSOT has been negotiating separately with the Halton board. The two sides have met six times with four more sessions planned. The Halton public board also has had three bargaining session with its permanent elementary teachers union and two sessions with the el- ementary occasional teachers, with more talks planned with both em- ployee groups. "So we are engaged with our lo- cal bargaining units and are having positive and productive discussions related to local issues," Jeff Blackwell, the board's acting executive officer of human resources, said in an email. Contract talks broke off at the pro- By Tim Whitnell Metroland Media Group While we may have been experienc- ing snow this Easter, the Lockwood girls of Georgetown experienced a very different environment. For them it was plus 22 C and sunny on the White House lawn! If the good weather was not enough they also got to participate with some of their Wallach cousins in the annual Easter Egg Roll, which the First Lady, Michelle Obama, offici- ated over in person! From left, Neve Lockwood, Hartley Wallach, Hannah Lockwood, Grace Wallach, Mackenzie Lockwood, TV celebrity Rachael Ray, and U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama. Read more on pg. 8 Submitted photo A visit to the White House Continued on page 4