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The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday February 26, 2003 - A3 [redacted] Two charged with using stolen credit cards Two Oakville residents have been charged in connection with the use of stolen credit cards at ' Oakv ille Place on Monday. Halton Regional Police report that at 1:50 p.m. a sales associate at Sears Oakville Place became suspicious of two men purchasing a home theatre sys tem with a credit card. After detecting some discrep ancy with the credit card, the associate called security staff for Sears and The Bay in the mall. Following the lip. security officers observed two men enter two other stores in the mall and purchase items with one of two credit cards. Halton police were contacted and when the suspects returned to Sears they were arrested. Further investigation revealed the two credit cards had been reported stolen earlier that day from a locker at the Oakville YMC'A on Rebecca Street. Halton police have received numerous reports of thefts from lockers at the YM CA and other recreation centres in February. Police said victims reported stolen identification items after the locks on their lockers were cut open. Aman Singh, 21, of Roseberry Cr., and 20, of River Oaks Boulevard, are charged with two counts of possession of stolen property, three counts of fraud under $5.(XX). three counts of unauthorized use of a credit card and one count of possession of break and enter tools. They are scheduled to appear in Oakville Provincial Court on March 25. Surname earns woman free flight to Thunderbay Pani Hamilton of Oakville was one of 535 Hamiltons across Canada to take advantage of a free trip to a WestJet destination cour tesy of the airline. Hamilton joined 176 other Hamiltons at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (H IA ) on Feb. 19 for their free flights as part of a special WestJet Valentine's Day promotion. As part of the event, WestJet offered Canadians who share their last name with the City of Hamilton the gift of free travel for the one day. According to WestJet, 535 Hamiltons emerged CanAla-wide, to take advantage of the free flights. O f the 535 Hamiltons who contact ed the airline. 177 flew out of the Hamilton airport and the remainder departed from the 25 other Canadian cities served by WestJet. " I am flying to Thunder Bay today. I'm so excited, as I will be visiting with loads of family. What a wonderful gesture from WestJet and the Hamilton International Airport. It's one of the best air ports," said Oakville's Hamilton. WestJet's Director, Public Relations and Communications Siobhan Vinish. said, "The Hamilton Valentine's promotion was WestJet's most popular promo tion ever. "The residents of Hamilton and surrounding areas have been very supportive of our service in the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, and we want ed to celebrate Hamilton in a fun, WestJet kind of way." Pam Ham ilton, of Oakville, departs for her free flight to Thunderbay as part of a W estJet promotion. Instructor says women better suited for many home construction jobs (Continued from page A1) "The construction world is changing. There are so many opportunities. There's at least 35 trades involved in building a home including concrete work, forming, footings, framing, brick-layering, trimming, and exterior finish which is my favourite. There are so many options," she said. She believes women are better suited for many jobs related to new home construction, since it involves multi-tasking, being detail-oriented and having cre ativity, traits that are most com monly honed in women. The program begins March 1 0, and features intense in-class train ing, hands-on experience, on-thejob training, and a paid work placement. The first 14 weeks of the pro gram are strictly in-class training and will combine theoretical knowledge with hands-on learn ing. It will take place at The Centre in Milton, which houses a complete workshop. Mattamy Homes Limited has also provided an on-site classroom " to bust holes in the wall" for the practical learning. The next 1 2 weeks will see the students working side-by-side with various contractors -- pro vided through Mattamy Homes Limited, its trade partners, and various member companies of The Residential Construction Council of Central Ontario (RESC O N ) -- where they will be closely monitored and evaluated. " Networking is key to the pro gram's success. There's a high success rate with programs such as these because the students work directly with the contractor. They get exposure to the reality of the construction trade," said Ritchie. "The employers are an impor tant tool in the evaluation process. We are trying to make these stu dents as employable as possible." The students then return to The Centre for another four weeks for follow up. Once completed, they continue to work with an employer for a 16-week paid placement where they will be paid at the entry-level rate. "Their foot is already in the door. The idea is for these students to get a full-time job." she said. The Government of Ontario, through The Ontario Women's Directorate (OW D). will be pro viding tuition sponsorship with " No matter where you work there is always conflict. I grew up in the world of construction, so I had a comfort level, but there's still the assump tion that only guys know how to use tools." ·Jill Ritchie, instructor, The New Hume Service Technician Program Human Resources Development Canada (H RD C ) as well as income support to qualified candi dates. Students are required to invest $500 into the program, which will go towards a starter tool kit and all safety equipment. During the on-the-job training and work experience, all students are covered by worker's compensa tion. "The program will benefit women who have a genuine inter est in the construction industry, not because it's a funded pro gram." said Ritchief In addition to the U'aining pro vided, the program also boasts significant post-program support. Mattamy Homes Limited and RESCO N will jointly facilitate the field placement with trade partners and other builders while The Centre will be providing access to on-going mentorship and career development advice through its Women in Skilled Trades Support Network. Traditionally seen as a maledominated field, construction work was the only career choice for Ritchie. Coming from a long line of contractors, she held tools in her hand since age three. "I always built things as a kid. I remember building nil of the mailboxes on my street. Construction and general carpen try work is all I've ever done." she said. And she's a pioneer. Ritchie is the first woman to become a member of the Carpenter's Union in Sault Saint Marie. She received a lot of attention from that membership, and it was mostly positive, said Ritchie. She remembers one time in particular when the gender barrier was most prevalent. " It was my first day at a new job, and I didn't know a soul. I was so scared as I drove up to the new site. I wanted to turn around and just leave. So I went in. met with the site superintendent, and of course everyone knew who I was. It was. 'oh. there's the girl.' But I had a job to do. Thirty-feet in the air. I swung that sledgeham mer and I got their respect. "There were a lot of barriers, and it wasn't that 1couldn't do the work, because I can." As a skilled trades instructor at Canadore College for 10 years, Ritchie said she had to earn the respect of the students, mostly male, so that they would listen to " this younger, female teacher." She M iiid < hc always tinned the first day of classes with a game called the Nail Driving Challenge, where the object is to. see who hammers nails the quick est into a laminated beam. She was undefeated and continued to earn the students' respect. " No matter where you work there is always conflict. I grew up in the world of construction, so I had a comfort level, but there's still the assumption that only guys know how to use tools," she said. " This program will work towards breaking those barriers. This time next year there will be 20 more women working in the industry." Al Schmidt, manager of edu cation for Mattamy Homes Limited, said Mattamy has always been committed to help solve the trades' crisis. " We saw a definite need in this area. There is an untapped market for women and youth in general." he said. Mattamy was recently recog nized by the Halton Apprenticeship Advisory Council for their corporate leadership role in improving the growth of skilled trades in Halton Region. Smee tnrttafang ti regionul eoop partnership in 1998 that offers high school students the opportu nity to earn credits while con structing a home, more than 600 students have been involved in the construction of 30 homes. "It's about career awareness. We are trying to make construc tion a first line of choice. Construction work is a gratifying career," said Schmidt. For more information about The New Home Service Technician Program, The Centre or about other Skilled Trades or related programs, call 905-3333499' . ext. 121 or visit www.thccentre.on.ca. Benjamin Franklin discovers electricity. Ryan's mom discovers shockingly low prices. S id e w a lk S a le March 3 to March 9 Save up to 80% on already low outlet prices. Discover great savings at over 100 National Name Brand Stores like... ·Levi's Outlet«Jacob»Aldo for Less*Winners»The Bombay Company ·Sears Outlet Store«Footlocker*Siblings and more!