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Leaf Blower & Snow Blower R epairs c * i» " , s8 2 . ,, C U R R E N TP O W E RM A C H IN E R YIN C . (2 block east ol Southdown Read in Clarkson) 1661 LakeshoreRd.l M e r c e d e s-B e n z WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1 3 ,2 0 0 0 A Metroland Publication Vol. 38 No. 146 S a lv a tio n A r m y d o n a tio n s p lu m m e t Kettle gifts off 75% as campaign seeks $60,000. By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF ith only 10 days left until the Salvation A rm y 's C h ristm as K ettle cam paign ends, donations are dow almost th ree-quarters of last v ear's total. According to Community Service Co-ordinator Jocelyn Ritson, a continued shortfall of this magnitude means that the Salvation Army would be unable to fully carry out many vital community initia tives, from the organization's emergency shelter to Christmas dinners for the needy. Ritson explained that last year's Christmas Kettle program raised $81,500. As of Dec. 9th, the 2000 cam paign had collected only $21,634 in donations. "The last couple of weeks are usually busier but we hope it picks up," said Ritson, who added that thousands of peo ple in the area benefit from the dollars dropped into the Sally Ann's familiar "bubbles" set up in local malls. "Sixty thousand is a lot of money for a couple of weeks." In Oakville, the kettles can be found at the following locations at various times: Oakville Place, Wal-Mart in the Uptown Core, Hopedale Mall, Canadian Tire at Dundas Street and Winston Churchill, Loblaw's (weekends) at Trafalgar Road and Dundas, LCBO stores at Upper Middle and Eighth Line and Oakville Town Centre I. Individuals wishing to give can also drop off donations at the Salvation Army's Oakville Citadel, located at 1225 Rebecca St. Please specify that the money be added to the Christmas Kettle campaign. "The money stays 100% in the com munity," said Ritson. "It is very impor tant for us to get it." The money will be used for food gift certificates so that families can enjoy a turkey dinner this Christmas, toys for children too. It is also used throughout the year for programs such as the Sally Ann's foodbank, children's camps and emergency shelter. A temporary house on Kerr Street is currently in use for this purpose. The Salvation Army, in co-operation with the Town of Oakville, the Region of Halton and members of the local faith communi ty are committed to creating a permanent shelter. W Photos by Barrie Erskine F irst...do n 't panic. Yes, th a t was o u r second significant snowfall in a week b u t you can cope. Tom M a tie r (top) d id n 't waste any tim e in firing u p his snow blow er w hile a Town of O akville snow plow crew used bigger equip m en t on R iver G len Boulevard. And while some p aren ts d id n 't approve, the kids also got a snow day th a t was enjoyed (above) by Je ff Burdzy, Venessa Niklas, A lexander N iklas an d A lexander Burdzy. B ut snow brings haz ard o u s driving conditions resulting in accidents like the M onday afternoon m ishap on F o u rth Line th a t sent seven people to hospi tal with non-life-threatening injuries. F o r m ore on the storm , see page A2. Man surrenders in stabbing case A man turned himself in peacefully at the Milton police station Monday morn ing in connection with a stabbing in Oakville two weeks ago. The suspect, John Wray, 20, of Wilson Drive was charged with one count of attempted murder and one count of aggravated assault. Two men were stabbed outside a bar at North Service Road'and'Dorval Drive Nov. 29th. One man faced life-threaten ing injuries but has since been released. Teacher-Board contract talks look brighter By Dennis Smith SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Parties involved in Halton District School Board secondary teachers contract talks are hoping for an early Christmas present. A deal within the next few days is not out of reach, said the Halton District School Board's bargaining chair Michael Ellis, a Burlington school trustee. "There are only a few issues remaining and we're not that far apart," said Ellis. "It is hopeful." The two sides were to meet again yesterday (Tuesday), following two lengthy bargaining sessions. "Both sides made movement," said Ellis. "The board gave a monetary position and the union countered with a monetary movement. Now we have some number crunching and brainstorming to do." Ellis said the two sides broke talks last Thursday about midnight after two full days of negotiating. "We were not thinking as clearly by then, so we decided to go away and regroup." Ellis said other secondary school teacher agreements will be examined to see how boards are financing them. He noted the Peel board has reached a tentative set tlement and 18 of 30 Ontario public boards have sec ondary school teacher contract agreements. "That puts the pressure on us." An Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation official was also optimistic that a settlement can be reached soon in Halton. "We've had two days of bargaining and the parties are going back and looking back at their positions on Tuesday," said Rhonda Kimberley-Young, an executive officer with OSSTF. She said provincial negotiators are helping local rep resentatives (members of Ontario District 20 - Halton) at current talks, as they've done in earlier sessions. "They have access to great support and resources from the provincial office," said Kimberley-Young, not ing new provincial legislation must be considered dur ing this year's talks. In earlier interviews, negotiators cited workload and compensation as key contract issues. Tighter provincial regulations require teachers to handle 6.5 classes annually instead of six. Teacher representatives say this means increased preparation and marking time, making it harder for them to handle extracurriculars. An education ministry official said the current requirement is bringing Ontario up to the national stan dard. It has also been noted teachers haven't had a raise in 7-8 years, although increases can be earned by advanc ing through four salary categories and a 12-year experi ence grid. The Halton talks affect 1,000-1,100 public sec ondary school teachers. Halton's Catholic high schools have an agreement to teach six classes for one more year. Hospitals gets $2.7 m more from Province By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Christmas came early this year for Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) with the promise of almost $3 million in additional provincial funding. As part of a $121-million package announced by Health Minister Elizabeth Witmer, HHS - which encompasses Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) and Milton District Hospital (MDH) - will receive $2,743,573. (See `Funding' page A2) to d a y 's p a p e r EcStonsIs,... him ............... ........ 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