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2 1 Friday, Septem ber 30, 2011 O A K V ILLE B EA V ER w w w .in sid eH A LTO N .co m Progressive Conservative candidates skip teacher debate By John Bkila METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP It was Liberals to the left, the NDP to the right, but not a single Conservative was in sight. That was the scene at Tuesday nights all-candidates meeting for the Oct. 6 provincial election, hosted by the Halton Elementary Unit of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA). Candidates for four area ridings, including Burlington, Oakville, Halton and Wellington-Halton Hills, were invited to the debate held at the OECTA office; however, only Liberal and New Democratic Party candi- dates from three of the ridings attended the event. While not open to the public, the media was invited to attend. Richard Brock, OECTA Halton unit president, informed those in attendance that the Conservative candidates had previously told the association they could not attend the meeting due to scheduling con- flicts. Burlingtons Conservative candi- date Jane McKenna confirmed to the Beaver she was invited to attend the meeting weeks in advance, but declined due to a previous engage- ment. While the importance of child- hood education highlighted the eve- nings discussion, other topics included the continued public fund- ing of Catholic schools, supporting the hard collective bargaining arm of teacher unions, reducing class sizes for Grades 4-8, eliminating the need to fundraise for core-learning items, maintaining the investment in public education and anti-bully- ing campaigns. Both parties were united in promising to continue supporting and implementing full-day kinder- garten while making sure certified teachers took the lead in classes with Early Childhood Educators (ECE) acting as support staff and not replacement teachers. Oakville Liberal candidate Kevin Flynn said he was proud of the level of maturity and respect shown by both the teachers and the ECEs and the respect shown to each other to make the program a success. Both sides seem to understand the role that they play and that theres a role for both in the childs day, Flynn said. Theres a dedication to do what ECEs do best and leave the teaching to teachers. Echoing his Liberal colleague, Burlington candidate Karmel Sakran took the opportunity to remind spectators that his partys full-day kindergarten program is the first of its kind in North America and that Ontario Liberals would be creating 3,800 new jobs for elementary teach- ers. Halton Liberal Indira Naidoo- Harris called the program a bold initiative that gives four and five year olds a head start on life, while See Candidates page 23 Transit Negotiations Continue The town continues to bargain with CAW Local 1256 and we remain optimistic that an agreement will be reached before the strike deadline of Friday, September 30, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. Please visit www.oakvilletransit.ca for the latest updates.