Kk WEEKEND DITIO bad Halton Hills CMHA desperate for volunteers By Wendy Long The Halton Hills office of the Halton Region Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is pleading for volun- teers. Mental health worker Kim Peters asks caring citizens (over the age of 18) to volunteer to help CMHA members to “reach the fullest potential in their lives.” The Halton Hills branch primarily runs a CMHA program called Oasis, designed “to address the needs of adults with chronic psychiatric disabilities by helping them maintain independent living in the community” and to keep the men- tally ill out of hospitals when hospitalization is unnecessary. Oasis has a membership list of 70 mentally ill Halton Hills and Milton citizens, 40 of whom are active members and a core group of 15 that use the program more than seven times The members may suffer from schizophrenia, manic or severe depression or another mental illness that requires sup- port through the psycho-social rehabilitation program. Peters runs the Oasis program from the Acton office Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, Friday morn- ings and two Saturdays per month. She currently has four volunteers and could use at least three more. Volunteers will receive training through the CMHA, said Peters, and do not require a background in social work. The Oasis members enjoy bowling, bingo, movies, dart, swimming, euchre and more. Volunteers are needed to pro- vide both friendly support and transportation. “The mentally ill have a lower crime rate than the general population,” Peters said, adding the possibility of aggression from the members is “minimal”. The CMHA also offers information and referral services, and other programs such as seminars on suicide intervention, stress management or separation coping skills. A seminar for the separated will be offered in Georgetown for the first time by the CMHA in February. “We're trying to move more into the north,” said Halton Region CMHA program director Peggy Grall. As well, CMHA staff are pleased to speak with groups, clubs or organizations on various mental health issues. To volunteer, join a program or for information, call Kim Peters or Lisa Rosales at 853-4477 (Acton) or 845-5044 (Oakville). Pad Saturday, November 992 32 pages SUNDAY BRUNCH 232 Guelph St., Georgetown 873-2254 oe ras aa Ol pic gold medal winner Shannon Cra‘ "Celebration of Ontario" dinner Tuesday. members about her golden effort (From left) Allan Robertson, Terry Jackson and Gary Gillespie. wford was a guest of the Halton hills Chamber of Commerce The Norval Olympian had a chance to talk with some chamber John Duncan, Crawford, Graeme Goebelle, Church members oppose development By Dianne Cornish A proposal for construction of a gas bar and convenience store on the south side of Steeles Avenue just east of the Ninth Line (Mountainview Road) should not be approved until Halton Region’s long-term planning strategies are known, a representative of St. Stephen’s Anglican Church told a committee meeting of Halton Hills development doesn’t fit into the Region’s future development plans, “it would be prudent (for town council)” to pay heed to long-term planning considerations, church warden Ken Whaley said. Whaley was the only person to speak in opposition to the gas bar and convenience store proposal dur- ing Monday’s public meeting. The development plan, which requires an amendment to the Halton Hills Official Plan as well as a zoning bylaw change, will go back to the town’s planning staff for a report to a future committee meeting, where council will debate the issue before making a decision. posal calls for a gas bar and conve- nience store, which would be housed in one 2,000-square-foot building. It would be built on a one- acre piece of property and would feature a “right in” entrance and “tight out” exit only onto Steeles Avenue. There will be no entrance to the site from the Ninth Line, Prasad said later during the meeting while answering a question from Whaley. The owner of an abutting piece of property (vacant Ministry of In a verbal p at the lands) will not grant committee meeting, Halton Hills planner Arvin Prasad said the pro- > 7. entry off the Ninth Line. Continued on page 4 ‘Your independent voice in Halton Hills’ 50 cents includes G.S.T. DBIA aims budget at promotions By Dianne Cornish A proposed 1993 budget of $58,845 got the nod of approval Tuesday night from members of the Georgetown Central Business Improvement Area (BIA). The budget, presented by BIA member Bryan Gilmore at the busi- ness association’s annual general meeting, puts more emphasis on downtown promotions and adver- tising as well as further beautifica- tion of the downtown core. “Promotions (such as Pioneer Days and the BIA’s annual Christmas Open House) are desper- ately needed,” Gilmore said. “We really want to concentrate on this.” The 1992 budget proposed $13,500 for promotions and advertising, but less was spent than expected with the cost being $11,700. The 1993 proposed budget for downtown promotions and advertising is $15,000. Costs for beautification and maintenance, including the installa- tion of flower barrels and banners along Main Street downtown, also came in under budget this year. Of the $11,000 proposed for the 1992 budget, $9,225 was spent. Next year, the BIA plans to continue its beautification program to the tune of $12,000. BIA vice-chair Mary- Ellen Stephens said during a tele- phone interview Thursday that the costs include adding banners and flower barrels to side streets down- town, paying for litter cleanup and street sweeping, and installing Christmas decorations. Money has also been put aside for lighting improvements on Market Street. The largest single expenditure in the 1993 budget is $18,600 to pay the salary of BIA manager Margaret Vint. In 1992, $15,600 was budgeted for the manager, but $18,035 was spent. BIA Board of Management chair Martha Martino explained that extra costs were the result of increased working hours required from the manager because of more board meetings on down- town development proposals, and additional work required to famil- iarize the new BIA board with its function. Because of increased office and administration costs related to expansion of the BIA, costs pro- posed for the 1993 budget stand at $5,500. That figure is exactly what Continued on Page 5 The Fall Blood Donor Clinic will be held Nov. 9 (Monday) from 1:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Holy Cross Church Auditorium in Georgetown. Bring Phot/Signature I.D. along with your donor card. This is Our Best Event of the Season —_ e ——— MENS LEATHER WALLETS $9.95 WOMENS FINE LEATHER GLOVES $19.95 LEATHER or SUEDE SKIRTS $59. the olde Hide House OPEN 10-9 DAILY 853-1031 WITH COAT PURCHASE Special Savings in every Department —— <$ ——— FREE TANA LEATHER OR SUEDE CARE KIT POOP COTO CTO O Ome