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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday August 22, 2007 - 3 Carr calls announcement `a good first step' for Halton Need Help Creating Something Unique? See our design team! Looking for something different? You'll find it here. We specialize in importing and supplying quality ceramics, porcelain, and natural stone with a variety of exclusive lines. Continued from page 1 Ottawa, the Liberal government announced a plan to take back $935 million in social program costs currently being paid by the province's municipalities. Halton regional chair Gary Carr said the announcement was "very good news" for local taxpayers. "It's a good step in the right direction," said Carr, who noted that most municipal politicians agree social program costs should be paid for through income taxes, rather than the more regressive property taxes. Although the downloading of those costs was imposed by the Mike Harris Tory government, while Carr was a sitting Conservative MPP for Oakville, he notes that he opposed the plan and voted against it at that time. "The downloading of these programs stands as one of the worst misjudgements of the previous government," said Premier Dalton McGuinty. "They've been a burden to every municipality and we're taking them back in full." About $1.3 million in costs should be eliminated from the regional budget for the coming year, as the province takes over Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr paying the cost of the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and Ontario Drug Benefits (ODB) for social assistance recipients. Additional reductions will be made to regional costs in each of the following three years. Just over 40 per cent of the Region's budget is assessed against Oakville taxpayers, based on the town's population. While welcoming the news, Carr said there is still much work to be done to ensure the Region's financial future is sound. "We still have a tremendous challenge with the budget, but this is a good first step," he noted, in a phone conversation from Ottawa where he is attending the AMO conference. Earlier this summer, regional politicians started the 2008 budget process by directing staff to prepare a budget limiting tax increases to four per cent ­ or about $50 for the average household. This latest announcement follows a spring decision by the province to phase out GTA pooling, which required the region to contribute money toward social service costs in the city of Toronto. That decision saved the region more than $12 million this year, with ongoing savings expected as the pooling is phased-out by 2013. This year's savings are being divided up amongst the region and the four area municipalities, to be used toward infrastructure costs. A press release issued by Oakville's Liberal MPP Kevin Flynn also applauded the provincial announcement, and quoted Mayor Rob Burton as noting, "This commitment to continued uploading by the provincial government will strengthen our ability to deliver local priorities." Check Out Our BACKSPLASH SHOWROOM & EXTENSIVE NATURAL STONE DISPLAY TRAVERTINES GLASS MOSAICS SLATE GRANITE MARBLE PORCELAIN NATURAL STONE TRAVERTINES GLASS MOSAICS SLATE GRANITE MARBLE PORCELAIN NATURAL STONE TRAVERTINES GLASS MOSAICS SLATE GRANITE MARBLE PORCELAIN NATURAL STONE TRAVERTINES GLASS MOSAICS SLATE GRANITE MARBLE PORCELAIN NATURAL STONE TRAVERTINES GLASS MOSAICS SLATE GRANITE MARBLE PORCELAIN NATURAL STONE Factory Tile Depot Tile selection made enjoyable! FACTORY TILE DEPOT 1360 Speers Road, Oakville (East of third line) 905.465.1650 Mon.-Thurs., 9:30-6, Fri. 9:30-5, Sat., 10-5, Closed Sun. www.factorytiledepot.ca Region has tentative pact with public health nurses The Region of Halton has avoided a strike by its 140 public health nurses. The Region and the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) Local 1 Halton Health Programs reached a tentative settlement on Monday. The tentative settlement will now be presented to ONA Local 1 members as well as to Members of Regional Council for ratification. If a tentative settlement had not been reached, ONA Local 1 representing approximately 140 registered nurses would have been in a legal strike position. "We're pleased the parties were able to reach this tentative settlement and that our residents and businesses will continue to receive the high quality programs and services they've come to expect from Halton Region," said John Phelan, acting director of human resources. 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As Chief Operating Officer, Ken Petrunik is responsible for managing all aspects of AECL's Commercial Business including major projects, services, and marketing and business development. With a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Windsor and a broad understanding of the power plant business, he has lead the on-time and on-budget construction and project management of CANDU 6 stations in Argentina, Korea, Romania and China. Petrunik is an active member of the Canadian Nuclear Society and the Canadian Nuclear Association and is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. Registration and a cash bar start at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $30 for members, $40 for non-members and $15 for students. Reservations are required. For more information or to reserve seats call 905-827-6302 or email bwylie@globalserve.net. OAKVILLE WEST 1500 Upper Middle Rd. W. (3rd Line, Sobey's Plaza) Jackie Lost: 61 pounds & 75 inches! OUR STAFF HAS DONE IT, SO CAN YOU! 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