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

8- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday October 6, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com We need laws so they can't rob. A vote for me will do the job ... Identity Theft Protection: Property. Money. Healthcare. Few sparks at final debate By Krissie Rutherford OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF NDP Tony Crawford Fairness and Social Responsibility. www.tonycrawford.com LOCAL NDP AUTHOR REJOICES CANADA WILL CRIMINALIZE IDENTITY THEFT www.tonycrawford.com Eight years protesting inspired by a Bank calling clients `Sitting Ducks' for namesake loans - finally achieves consumer protection d u e t o petition s i g n e d by Jack Layton, Howard Hampton, Peter Kormos a n d voting constituents. Yea! W e can retire t h e van. T o n y . Vote to put m y knowledge into l a w LICENSED UNDER A.G.C.O. THAI & VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CUISINE All one has to do is savour the tastes of Siam Land of Smiles for specialized Vietnamese and Thai cuisine. ROYAL WINDSOR DRIVE FORD DR. CORNWALL WINSTON CHURCHILL With the election less than a week away, Oakville's candidates had their final chance to take shots at one another at the last local all-candidates meeting on Thursday ­ but the debate remained tame. In fact, two of the nearly 50 people gathered at the Oakville Central Public Library commented on just how "nice" the candidates had been toward one another. "I've moderated some debates, and they can get pretty out of hand," one woman said. "I'd like to commend each of you." Oakville's NDP candidate Tony Crawford was unable to make the entire meeting ­ he did show up near the end ­ so the party was represented by Halton NDP candidate Pat Heroux. Women's issues and poverty were the main orders of the night at the meeting, sponsored by the Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services of Halton (SAVIS), Amnesty International-Group 75-Oakville/Milton, Canadians in Support of Afghan Women (CSAW), Oakville Neighbourhood Watch, The Halton-Peel Humanist Community and Women of Halton Action Movement (WHAM). When it comes to access to education for women ­ and anyone that wants it, for that matter ­ the candidates agreed accessibility is an issue, but they had different ideas of how to make it accessible. The NDP's Heroux earned major applause when she voiced her party's plans. "No one in Ontario who wants and needs an education will be denied an education," Heroux said. "It's not a cost, it's an investment in our future and the future of our children." Marion Shaffer of the Green Party said her party plans to cap tuition at $3,000 a year "to make education more accessible to anyone who wants it." The Green platform also includes a plan to reduce college programs to just $700 a year, said Shaffer, who's a retired minister. Progressive Conservative candidate Rick Byers said reducing tuition is not the answer. "It lowers the quality of the education itself," he said. The PC Party will assist with tuition payments in order to make post-secondary education more accessible, Byers said. He also plugged colleges like Sheridan, which fill jobs in sectors that are in need right now, including the trades. "The jobs we need right now are those produced by quality institutions like Sheridan. As parents, we need to encourage our kids to pursue these careers," Byers said. Flynn touted his party record, noting there are 86,000 more students in postsecondary institutions than there were four years ago. Tuition fees were frozen for two years under the Liberal party. He also noted that while skilled trades for women wasn't a popular route before the Liberals came into power, "it's now a viable alternative." "Those are well-paying jobs, jobs you can raise a family on," Flynn said. The MPP also noted the biggest hike in post-secondary education history came under an NDP government. Election night coverage On election night, Wednesday, Oct 10, The Oakville Beaver will be providing coverage of the Oakville and Halton ridings in stories and photos on its website oakvillebeaver.com. Final results will be posted on the website when it is available Wednesday night. In depth coverage of the provincial election in Oakville will follow in the Friday, Oct. 12 edition of The Oakville Beaver. PHO tasty More funding for women's groups to end violence against women, treatment for autistic children, transportation rights and even abortion were among other questions from the floor. A divisive issue across the parties is minimum wage. Shaffer said the Green Party plans to raise the wage to $10.25 per hour by June of 2008. "As a minister, I have worked with people who are trying to make a living, trying to exist," she said. "Raising minimum wage is an absolute must." Heroux, meanwhile, said the NDP would hike up the wage "immediately." "Nothing is more important in this election than a minimum wage of $10 an hour. That increase has to happen, and it has to happen now," she said. The NDP candidate said "minimum wage isn't going to cost a society," a point both Flynn and Byers countered. The Liberal and PC candidates said raising minimum wage suddenly would have an impact on Ontario's small businesses. "It sounds like an easy, straight-forward concept," Byers said. "It's more than that. If you increase minimum wage, it puts pressure on small business in Ontario. Sudden increases in minimum wage can result in job losses." The key, the PC candidate said, is "finding a balance." He said his party will be sending a non-partisan commission to look at the issue and determine an "appropriate level" for minimum wage in Ontario. Flynn told the crowd he'd spoken to small businesses about the impact of an increase in minimum wage and was told "should you increase the minimum wage quickly and suddenly to $10 an hour, we definitely will lay people off." That's why the Liberal Party plans to increase the wage to $10 an hour by 2010, in a "predictable way," the incumbent said. Flynn added that increasing this wage isn't the key issue. "By keeping them on minimum wage, we're keeping them in poverty" he said. "The real issue is to get people into well-paying jobs so that they're independent, so that they can raise their families." TAKE OUT DELIVERY LUNCH EXPRESS PICK-UP 2300 Royal Windsor Dr. NOW OPEN Mon.-Thurs. 11am-9:30pm, Fri.-Sat. 11am-11:00pm, Sun. 11am-9:30pm 905.337.8888 To become involved with Rotary in Oakville and around the world visit our website: www.oakvillerotary.org