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OAKVILLE'S BEST REAL ESTATE SECTION INSIDE! Beaver A member of Metroland Media Group Ltd. Vol. 52 No. 6 www.oakvillebeaver.com THEY WANT RESPECT: Oakville probation and parole officers (l-r) Michael Kirlew, Gord Longhi and Angie O'Brien formed a small picket line in Oakville to raise awareness over the ongoing contract negotiations with the Ontario government. Parole officers want respect By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville parole and probation officers took to the snowy streets outside their Speers Road office on Monday, to protest what they called an unfair contract offer by the Ontario government. The small, but dedicated, group's demonstration was part of a much larger day of action that saw parole and probation officers across the province protest a new collective agreement being proposed by the government to the VISIT OUR ALL NEW WEBSITE L L THE OAKVILLE 321 Cornwall Rd. 321 Cornwall Rd. 321 CornwallRd. Old O k ill M k Olde Oakville Market Olde OakvilleMarket 905.815.8777 905.815.8777 Actor keen on Keanu ARTSCENE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2009 PAUL FOLEY AMP MORTGAGE AGENT Purchases Renewals Refinances Rental Properties Credit Lines 40+ Lenders HO: 100-480 University Ave. Toronto, ON M5G 1V2 *OAC, E&OE M08005472 905-827-8009 1 YR 4.00% 4 YR 4.69% 5 YR 4.79% "Using Communication To Build Better Communities" 56 Pages $1.00 (plus GST) Halton's RIDE stats alarming Alcohol-related charges soar during annual holiday checks By Tim Whitnell METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP Either more people are drinking and driving in Halton or police are just getting a lot better at catching those who do it. Whatever the reason, an astounding 10 times as many drivers were charged with impaired driving or having an illegal amount of alcohol in their bloodstream during the just concluded RIDE spot check program in Halton Region as compared to the same period a year ago. And that is with 11,233 fewer vehicles stopped this December over Dec. 2007 (24,644 to 35,877). Halton police's recent Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) campaign saw an increase to 29 of such charges throughout Halton in December 2008 compared to just three for the entire region during the December 2007 RIDE spot checks. The breakdown for December 2008 was six impaired and four `over 80' charges in Burlington, four impaired and eight `over 80' charges in Oakville and seven `over 80' charges between Milton, Acton and Georgetown. In December 2007, the Halton RIDE program only laid three impaired/'over 80' charges, two in Burlington and one in Oakville. The statistical RIDE information provided by police does not include the number of drivers charged with being impaired or "The message doesn't seem to be getting out as well as we would like it to be. People are still drinking and driving despite the efforts of police." Halton Regional Police Chief Gary Crowell KAREN NEWMAN / OAKVILLE BEAVER Inside Living................................................xx Artscene...........................................24 Sports...............................................30 Classified.........................................36 Partial Delivery: Sport Chek, Sport Mart, Premier Fitness, The Bay, JYSK Bed and Bath, Home Hardware, Jazko, Coast Mountain, Budget Blinds, Toppers Pizza, 2-4-1 Pizza, Ontario Tourism, Staples Business For home delivery & customer service call (905) 845-9742 Mon., Tues. and Thurs. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Wed. 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Fri. 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat 10 a.m.-3 p.m. NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS call (905) 845-9742 or subscribe online @ www.oakvillebeaver.com See inside today's paper for special subscription offer. "When we don't have enough time to spend with sex offenders, domestic assault cases, drug dealers, we don't have time to protect the community properly." Probation officer Gord Longhi OPSEU (Ontario Public Service Employees Union) Corrections Bargaining Unit. The existing agreement expired on Dec. 31. Probation Officer Gord Longhi, chair of the bargaining team, said there are numerous issues facing probation and parole officers, which are not addressed in this latest agreement. "One of the big issues they haven't even touched on is excessive workload. We put that on the table hoping to get our workloads down, so we can protect the public in the way that we're hired to," said Longhi. "When we don't have enough time to spend with sex See Parole page 5 See Are page 4 SERVING OAKVILLE FOR 25 YEARS! 175 Wyecroft Rd. Oakville 905.845.6653 Between Kerr & Dorval Optimize Performance (Adults and Children) · Attention span is short · Difficulty organizing & completing work · also helpful for Asperger's · also Psycho-educational testing ADD Centre YOUR FRIEND IN THE BUSINESS! Neurofeedback and learning strategies can provide a lasting improvement. Co-author with Pediatrician William Sears of The A.D.D. Book: New Understandings, New Approaches to Parenting Your Child. www.lockwoodchrysler.com Director: Lynda M. Thompson, Ph.D., 905-803-8066 www.addcentre.com