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M MM I T h e Oa k v u ie B eaver OAKVILLE-CENTRE sg iiiiA tiii O a k v i ll e Golden Grocers Specialty east &west Indian grocery items, spices, nuts, beans, direct from India. C o n v e n ie n c e A n d Luxury CENTRA! I n Ev e r y R o o is f c v iL L E p u & K ( 9 0 5 ) 8 4 2 -5 0 0 0 120 MAVY ST oAkViLLt, L6J 214 I m o v ie c o n v e r s i o n ! 579 Kerr St 849-8058 A Metroland Publication Vol. 39 No. 33 SU N D A Y ,M ARCH18,200! 24 Pages 75 Cents Plus GST Public school board chair supports background checks By Dennis Smith SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Having criminal background checks for all school employ ees is drawing both bouquets and brickbats. Halton District School Board Chair Ethel Gardiner acknowledged the province's new mandatory requirement may upset some longtime staff. "It may not appeal to some. And teachers might interpret this as a blow to their integri ty," said Gardiner. "But if it protects one chjjd in the "...if it protects one child sa province it's a valuable exer in the province, it' cise." valuable exercise. " She said the board has -- Halton District School been doing criminal back Board Chair ground checks on all new Ethel Gardiner employees for the past four years. The provincial government announced last week such checks will be mandatory for all school employees. The one time checks will start in September and be phased in over two school years. Checks will be run by local police services and are designed to capture all criminal convictions. Education Minister Janet Ecker described the checks as an additional tool to help school boards create more secure learn ing environments. "Parents, teachers and students have told us that safe, secure learning environments are a priority," she said. "This is another key step in fulfilling the government's commitment to make all publicly-funded schools safe, respectful places for learning and teaching." But an Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (See `Teachers' page 5) Photo by Peter McCusker APPRENTICE JUGGLER: Alexis Hammill is surrounded by a sea of floating scarves as she takes part in the March Break Juggling Jamboree program at the Glen Abbey Library, last week. The program was run by John Mark Deneau, a local juggling enthusiast, who leads a popular juggling club at Pine Grove Public School, where he teaches. INSIDE Update............................... 7 lave) & E n te rta im e n tl4 Sports.............................. 15 Classified....................17-19 Special S u p p le m e n ts 1 PartialDdwery: The Bay, Pharma Phis, Keene Pharmaq), Rabba Fine Foods, Fortino' s, RexallDrugs, Sears, Sears Whole Home, Clarins, Imagery Communications Canadian Publications Mail Product Agreement #435-201 T h e O a kville B e a ve r is a re cycla ble p roduct. C R rm c R / l i n t / S to re H o u il: C a n a d ian T ir e , anc* O a k ville ... A W u^ Canadian Tire's ^ Athlete of the Week Captain Nick Dodge led his minor bantam AAA team into the OMHA championship tourney. Please drop by your nearest Canadian Tire to pick iq> your g * certificate. in n in g /» " J O C o m b in a t io n ! Am /« /· a rW ~ i* w . u ,r .jHU v s n s a W;r * * Mon Fri b 30 a m -9 p m * ' «" * ** Lr !' Sun 9a ' O ur newHorn * op tm im j M Iratalgar a n d Dufldai M rfy A pril Bar & Car Wash Open. Way to go !!!