Petro-C anada jo b s pay o ff fo r students By Scott M acArthur SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER With the upcoming school year looming closer, Petro-Canada handed out its annual Back To School bur saries to 48 young employees from around Ontario, two of whom are Oakville natives. Michael Kessler and Colin Ross, two Petro-Canada gas station atten dants in town, both received $800 from their employer to continue their pursuit of post-secondary education. Kessler is a two-time recipient of the bursary. About to enter his third year of the philosophy program at the University of Toronto, he has been working at the service station on Maple Grove Drive for five years. Ross, who, like Kessler, is the recipient of his second Back To School bursary, will use the money to help fund his schooling in the Radio Oil company hands out bursaries to ease education cost and Television Arts program at Ryerson Polytechnic University. He has worked as a gas service attendant at the station on Iroquois Shore Road for one year. The Back To School bursary pro gram, run in conjunction with P.E.T. Communications Inc. in Montreal, has handed out more than 1,700 bur saries since its inception in 1991, a total of more than $ 1 million. P.E.T., which administers the application forms and organizes pro motional events, has been involved since the Petro-Canada started the program. "Our partnership has worked out very well and its nice to help the young men and women who are either continuing with their education or going back to school," said Claude Sauriol, P.E.T.'s head of government relations. "Petro-Canada is very good about supporting its employees." The Back To School bursary pro gram is available to students either in school or returning to the classroom. Scholarship amounts depend on the level of education. High school stu dents receive $400, college recipients get $500, and those in university get $800. Applicants must complete an application form and the accompany ing essay questions. A photo of the individual on the job is also required. "Many of our service attendants face the difficult challenge of jug gling the demands of their studies and work," said Boris Jackman, executive vice-president of Petro-Canada. "Petro-Canada is proud to invest in the future of these dynamic and deter mined young Canadians." Photo by Peter C. McCusker Michael Kessler from the Maple Grove Petro Canada and Colin Ross of the Iroquois Shore station: bursaries help with higher education Region adamant in defending water quality Over the past 10 years, Hatton has actually increased its health-related bacteriological testing so that at present, the region carries out more than one thousand more such tests each year than required by the province. By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Recent press reports that left a bad taste regarding the qual ity of Halton's drinking water do not accurately reflect the actu al results of provincial testing, say senior regional officials. According to Halton Region CAO Brent Marshall, safe drinking water continues to flow in Burlington, Acton and Georgetown - the opposite of impressions left from stories in at least two daily newspapers. "Halton Region's water is safe to drink," said Marshall. "It is unfortunate that the recent news reports failed to fully explain that the Ministry inspections in Halton actually confirmed the overall health and safety of our water." Last week, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) issued orders to 72 water treatment plants requiring them to take cor rective action to meet provincial requirements. This measure was taken in the wake of Ministry inspections of 241 (as of July 21) of the province's 630 water treatment plants that uncovered deficiencies in 131 of them. The remaining plants - including Oakville's - will be inspected by year's end. Murphy said the Region has received a verbal report on Milton and Campbellville that say no orders of compliance will be issued. The MOE inspections did reveal minor differences in Halton's present testing procedures when compared to the orig inal MOE certificates of approval but at no time, say officials, did this mean health would be compromised. "The Ministry's detailed inspections of our test procedures suggest that some chemical and aesthetic parameters should be tested at increased intervals, but the bottom line is that Halton's emphasis on health related bacterial testing far exceeds Ministry guidelines," said Planning and Public Works Commissioner Pat Murphy. "Halton staff have already initiated the minor improvements to the sampling protocols outlined by the recent inspections." In the wake of Walkerton, Murphy continued, everyone involved with water quality is being extra careful. The province, for example, compared actual testing against provin cial standards and even the original certificates of approval of plants which may be decades old. "In light of the Walkerton situation, having an independent party carry out testing is always a good idea," said Murphy, who explained that the provincial testing was both a water qual ity and an administrative review. In Burlington, for example, Murphy said that there was an issue made of the fact that water colour samples were being taken once a week when this should have been done twice a day. Over the past 10 years, said Muiphy, Halton has actually increased its health-related bacteriological testing so that at pre sent, the region carries out more than one thousand more such tests each year than required by the province. Halton is also one of a handful of municipalities that employs a dual testing system whereby the Regional Health Department independently samples and tests over 20% of all water samples. In total then, the Region conducts in excess of 4,500 bacteriological tests each year plus thousands more other water quality tests. "In light of the Walkerton situation the Region welcomed the Ministry's independent review of our water facilities and I was pleased with the positive report on the health of our water and the operation of our plants," said Regional Chair Joyce Savoline. 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