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

www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, January 3, 2013 · 6 The Oakville Beaver The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Guest Column 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 Neil Oliver Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West David harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief, Halton Region Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Website www.oakvillebeaver.com The OakvilleBeaver is a division of Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville ATHENA Award ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @halton_photog A LITTLE SUNSHINE: Non-profit A Little Ray of Sunshine delivered flowers to hospital patients over the holidays. It takes donated flowers from weddings, memorial services, wholesalers, nurseries and horticultural centres, and re-purposes them for delivery to hospitals, nursing homes, hospices and shelters. Here, in front, from left, Jacob Finn, Robyn Travis, Walter Frainetti, Tracey Mueller, and Madisen Mueller. In middle, Ron Travis, Judy Travis, Lisa Rossi, John Mueller, and Carolyn Moshtagh. Behind, Peg Steinman, Michelle Sim, and Georgina Russell. ur members are protesting the provincial government's passing of Bill 115 -- legislation which contravenes the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by taking away a teacher's right to negotiate a contract with their employers, the school boards, restricting their access to the courts, preventing the oversight of the Ontario Labour Relations Board, and removing the protection of the Ontario Human Rights Act. The public should examine Sections 14 and 15 for the evidence of the attack on democratic rights. No one, not even the government, can be allowed to defy the laws of our country. This is also not about a wage freeze as the government claims. Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) members offered to accept a wage freeze in April 2012. The government did not accept and continues to mislead the public. OSSTF has faced down ultimatums and trumped-up charges of impending, full-blown strikes, filed political interference charges with the Labour Board, and launched a constitutional challenge to Bill 115. OSSTF reserved action on voluntary unpaid services until all other options were exhausted. These voluntary unpaid services have been taken for granted by the government. OSSTF only has the withdrawal of voluntary service before a teacher walkout in political protest. It is important to note even though our members are in a legal strike position, they have chosen not to withdraw their services completely. They continue to plan and deliver lessons, mark assignments, provide educational support and ensure students remain safe while at school. The Liberal government has created a crisis in education that didn't need to happen. With the passage of Bill 115, this government has overridden collective agreements and rendered local collective bargaining meaningless. The government says OSSTF union bosses have refused to negotiate and compromise. Again the government continues to mislead the public. OSSTF has bent over backwards to negotiate four deals that stripped our contracts in York, Niagara, Thames Valley, and Hamilton. The government was happy. The grassroots membership in those boards recently voted them down. In five other boards, the union and the board reached similar deals only to have the government change the wording. The deals were aborted. OSSTF has gone the extra mile to protect the interests of our members, but the minister is insisting on a corrupted collective bargaining process that is a violation of the Constitution and our democratic rights. In Ontario, and Canada, there are laws that protect workers' rights. By implementing Bill 115 legislation, the government has essentially asserted it believes itself to be above these laws and able to strip the rights of all workers. OSSTF members know this is wrong and will stand together against it. If you believe democratic rights are worth defending, we hope you will join us in fighting Bill 115. We encourage you to contact your local MPP and demand the repeal of Bill 115, the one thing that has caused such chaos in our schools. You can find contact information for your MPP at www.ontla. on.ca. This is about protecting our democratic rights. This is now about the type of society our children and students will inherit when they graduate and enter the work force. Our members are compelled to stand up for their rights, and the rights of all workers. Without this resolve, the rights of all citizens will be diminished. Brad Fisher President, Teachers' Bargaining Unit OSSTF District 20 -- Halton, OSSTF Provincial Councillors O Bill 115 diminishes rights The world record for dissolution of a new year's resolution ears ago, as the clock clicked toward midnight during a New Year's Eve house party, a close friend unsteadily stood up on a chair, raised a glass, and announced his grand intentions for the new year. "In the new year," he said, solemnly, "I'm not going to drink anymore." Then, at 12:01 a.m., he promptly poured himself a fresh drink. Reminded that he had just said that he would not be drinking in the new year, he got back up on that chair to clarify. "In the new year," he said, "I'm not going to drink any more. But, then," he smirked, "I'm not going to drink any less." While that may well have been a world record for quickest dissolution of a new year's resolution -- blown to smithereens in less than 65 seconds -- it was not the first (or last) time anyone escaped the unpleasant bonds of a resolution through a loophole.... I hope you had a wonderful holiday, dear readers. I hope you had some downtime and stole a moment or two to relax, rejuvenate and reflect. I hope Santa was good to you, and that you were good to others. And I hope you had a Happy New Year's, replete with resolutions both rockin' and realistic so that, having rung out 2012, you Y can wring the most out of 2013. Assorted studies show that the majority of new year's resolutions are eventually broken, most before the end of January. Why? Because people tend to make resolutions to which they are not at all committed (I'm going to quit multitasking, just as soon as I write this e-mail Andy Juniper while driving and eating sushi). Because a definite lack of realism tends to creep into the process (I'm going to lose 30 pounds, by midnight. Ah, only if you lop off a limb). People make too many resolutions. And, finally, because people tend to make the wrong resolutions. According to a New York Times' story, "The typical resolution reflects a general desire, rather than a specific goal" and people make broad resolutions rather than mapping out small, attainable objectives. Reading this, I thought of eclectic American songwriter Sufjan Stevens who intended to write an album for each of the 50 U.S. states. He released Michigan in 2003, Illinois in 2005, then abandoned the entire idea. Too ambitious. Altogether unrealistic. Personally, I'm fairly realistic when it comes to making resolutions. Eradicate world poverty. Equality for all. Global peace. Cure a bunch of diseases. All by mid-February. But the odd time I get sort of Sufjan -- altogether unrealistic. Like: eat healthier. Exercise more. Lose five pounds. I know, next to impossible, right? Seriously, this year I have resolved to follow the admirable lead of a friend who is rereading literary classics as penned by the likes of Dickens, Dostoevsky, Hardy, Bronte, Fitzgerald, Greene, et al. According to my friend, this takes considerable commitment because nowadays we have limited reading time and because classics command a reader's full attention (apparently it's hard to read The Brothers Karamazov whilst watching The Bachelor). To be successful, he says, it's a (not-so-simple) matter of refining both your reading and your reading habits. Not more reading, just better reading. Hopefully, this won't be my Sufjan Stevens. Happy New Year. Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, found on Facebook http://www.facebook.com, or followed at www.twitter.com/thesportjesters.