Wednesday iNovemoer z4, i*yy I HE, »IEEE bEAV EK COMMENT Lifestyle changes should include fitness fun At this past weekend's Fitness Over 40 fitness conference, athletes at the end of the day were asked to give their millennium predictions about fitness as we head into the next century. They had a variety of things to say, from more mind/body fitness connections to a hope that insurance companies will begin to offer lower rates for fit people. But I also offered my own silent plea for the millennium: that women get off the weigh scales and get out of cosmetic surgery offices. And I suppose it all ties up with what key note speaker at the confer ence, Sally Armstrong, said about get ting caught up in the business of fitness. The former editor of Homemaker's, speaking at the Sport Centre for Research and Education conference at Sunnybrook and Woman's College, noted the fat-free mantra, anti-cellulite advertising and the host of "hopelessly dishonest" advertising is doing what we all suspected for years - selling women a bad bill of goods. DIANE HART "We are getting so caught up in the business of fitness that we are forget ting to have fun," said the editor-at- Trades helped m ake D ream Hom e reality Recently at prestigious Upper Glen Abbey, we unveiled the one-of-a-kind Mattamy WideLotTM "Dream Home," the Grand Prize in the Oakville Dream Home Lottery. All too often, the many trade professionals and suppliers behind the scenes who help bring this home to life go unrecognized. This year, proceeds from the sale of tickets benefit the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital Charitable Corporation (in support of the OTMH and Milton District Hospital) and the capital campaign of the Oakville YMCA. For the second year in a row, Mattamy is proud to participate as a major sponsor, and we'd like to share centre stage by showcasing the cast who made this dream home possible. Please join Mattamy Homes in a stand ing ovation to all those who have worked so hard to bring the Oakville Dream Home to life, and to the many others who over the past 20 years have Letters to the Editor helped make every Mattamy home a "Dream Home." It takes many hands to build a home. As president and chief executive officer of Mattamy Homes, I wish to extend a heartfelt thanks to the many companies and individuals who play an integral part in creating a better future for our communities: Birchwood Landscaping Inc.; Bradstone; Canac Kitchens A Division o f Kohler Ltd.; Canadian Star Aluminum; CDN Construction Inc.; Erindale Contracting; Europ E.K.C.; Frank Plastina Investments Limited; GAL Heating Systems Limited; Greenland Irrigation; Halton Forming 1992 Ltd.; John Stegenga Carpentry; Lansing Buildall; Leon's Insulation Inc.; Mansteel Limited; Marli Mechanical Limited; Metric Tile Inc.; Mid Northern Appliances; Mihalic Hardwood Floors Ltd.; Mirror Community Living workers question comments We, the workers at Community Living Oakville, read your recent cov erage of our strike (Oakville Beaver Nov. 21, 1999) and are shocked at the inaccuracies of the information. (Community Living Oakville exec utive director Andy) Rotsma is quoted as indicating workers received an "11% pay equity raise in the past five years." This is so absurd that the fact is the workers have received 3% pay equity for years 1995, 1996 and 1997 with this money paid to the workers in the spring of 1999. Isn't it interesting that the employer wants to mix pay equity with wage increases, which have not been seen in the last eight years? He is penalizing women for legisla tion which attempts to bring their salaries up to what men earn. Pay equi ty is not up for discussion and has never been mentioned during the bargaining process, nor should it be. In pact, pay equity has not been paid for 1998 or maintained as is required by the Pay Equity Legislation. The union intends to appeal Mr. Rotsma's lack of maintenance of the plan. Mr. Rotsma further indicated that management positions have been cut to 10. In fact, management positions are not at 14, It is unfortunate that we as workers were not able to comment on the accuracy of the information. The focus must be that we are on strike because of a difference of less than 1% and the reality is that Mr. Rotsma will clear his deficit by having us out on the street. We guess the ques tion is, does Mr. Rotsma care about the clients? It is amazing how he can pay a minimum of six security guards to monitor such a peaceful strike. W orkers of Com m unity Living O akville OPSEU Local 2 49 Interiors; Montego Group Ltd.; NAK Design Group; Nelmar Drywall Company Limited; Olivieri Masonry Construction Ltd.; PZ. Contracting; Phil' s Caulking Company Limited; Pollard Windows Inc.; Quality Rugs of Canada Limited; Rady-Pentek and Edward Surveying Ltd.; Reliance Windows Limited; Riviera Electrical Contractor Inc.; Robinson-Adams Overhead Doors; Rushwood Truss (Div. o f Millwork Building Suppliers Ltd.); Sam Lombardo Limited; Sheridan Nurseries; Shipway Stairs Limited; Sunset Decks Inc.; Sunview Doors Ltd.; Ultimate Marketing; Viljoen Architect Inc., Wyecroft Lumber and Trim Ltd. The Oakville Dream Home Lottery is the only volunteer-driven lottery operating in the GTA today. The Lottery was launched to support the Community Foundation of Oakville, a charity that benefits a wide variety of community initiatives. Over the past four years, organizers of the Lottery have raised over $2-million to benefit local charities, helping the community to become a better place to live. P eter Gilgan large for Chatelaine magazine, now a full-time student working on her mas ter's in exercise physiology at the University of Toronto. What she alluded to, of course, are the unrealistic images barraging women, both young and old. Not only are we faced with anti-cellulite and fat free ads, all of it telling us you can't be too thin or too rich: We're also being told it's okay to surgically change any thing the market deems to be less wor thy - be it too many wrinkles or not enough cleavage. And we're told it's okay, indeed even laudable, to care so much about this junk that we'll go under the knife to live up to someone else's image. It's all marketing; money. Which is okay, as Armstrong says, as long as they don't win while we lose. We lose if we begin to believe it and pursue it. We lose if we become obsessed by the weigh scale; by how many calories we are burning; by our endless talk of shedding just 10 more pounds. And we lose if we are willing to go under the knife and change ourselves surgically rather than make healthy lifestyle choices. Deciding to eat off the Canada's Food Guide just doesn't sound as dramatic as an eight-hour operation you have to get in shape for. There are women who literally train for a lyposuction operation - get in shape to have the endurance to get through an operation that will lop off fat. It makes little sense and yet we do it. Rather than make the small, but impor tant, changes that will make us healthi er in the long run we want it no>v and we are willing to pay for it. As if to say the more we pay for something and the quicker it is the more value it has. What, after all, does this say to our children, the same kids watching across the table as we weigh the food and look at the fat free labels on the food and make doctor's appointments to change our appearance. It says style over substance....even when it comes to our health. And that is, quite simply, the wrong message to send to our kids. I heard someone once say that if you have a bad habit, the best thing to do about it is not pass it on to your children and that's what I would like every woman to do as they approach the new century - not buy into the crass market ing and begin to look at themselves in a new light. What it often comes down to is having fun: finding something you enjoy enough to do it at least three or four times a week. I know a group of hockey moms who did exactly that they wanted to do more than drive their kids to the hockey arena and watch the game through the glass. So they went ahead and rented a slab of ice for a few months and now play hockey every Sunday night. They found a new love that had nothing to do with looking like some thing off a billboard. This is what we need to do: we need to find stuff that's fun to do. I suppose that's why, in a way, I'm going to head out onto the ice in January to play shinny hockey with a group of women. I'll be doing this, I have to say, despite the fact I can't stop in hockey skates. But I can't tell you how excited I am. And the kids, once they stopped laughing, have picked up my excite ment. Kate says she'll show me how to do crossovers, both ways, and Drew promises to give me tips on just how not to crash into the boards, too often. It's going to be a laugh. And that, surely, is what it's all about. O N T A R IO · a m I . Q f C o u n c il O A K V I L L E `<<5-660, & S t a n d in g C o m m it t e e M e e t in g s W ednesday, December 1,1999 C o u n cil M ee tin g C o uncil C h a m b e rs 7 :3 0 p.m . M onday, December 6,1999 Planning & D evelopm ent Council Council C h am b e rs 7 :3 0 p.m . Tuesday, December 7,1999 Com m unity Services Com m ittee 7:30 p.m. - Oakville Room Administrative Services Com m . 7:30 p.m. - Bronte Room M onday, Decem ber 13,1999 Council M eeting Council C h a m b e rs 7 :3 0 p.m . ; · Canada's Sm artest E m ergency R oad Service H . · Smart Savings O n f M C om plete Travel Services . j j 1 1 1 C ouncil & C ommittee T ouchtone P hone L ine 815-5959 THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF OAKVILLE f TENDER FOR: The Printing of 1) " Your Town 2000" (Corporate Brochure) and 2) The Fall 2000/Winter 2001 Parks and Recreation Brochure T-23-99 · Save The Smart Way On Auto & Property Insurance !· Save With Your C AA Card At 100s Of Retail Locations · Earn Your Membership Renewal Free At Sunoco & Save TENDER NUMBER: SEALED TENDERS on forms provided will be received by the Town Clerk, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, Ontario, L6J 5A6 until 2:00 p.m., local time on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1999 Specifications, tender forms and tender envelopes may be obtained from the Town o f Oakville Purchasing Department, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, Ontario L6J 5A6; Telephone 905-338-4197. Tenders will be opened publicly at a meeting of the Tender Opening Committee at the Oakville Municipal Building, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, Ontario on Tuesday, December 14, 1999 at 2:30 p.m. local time. The Town o f Oakville reserves the right to reject any or all tenders and the highest or lowest as the case may be will not necessarily be accepted. R.J. Coumoyer, C.I.M., P.Mgr. Director, Purchasing and Office Services Tender advertising may be viewed on the O.P.B.A. website, http://vaxxine.com/opba Hamilton Mountain 1 2 2 5 T R A F A L G A R R O A D · O A K V IL L E , O N T A R I O · L6J 5 A 6 TTIt p I A Cl M e m b e rs h ip Income a Member HorAsS [Little I is the perfect gift for those you care about most - family members and friends. Call or visit our office today - we make gift giving easy! It's Easy To Join - Call or Visit Us On-line At Hamilton 1- 800- 263-8599 W W W .C iia S C O .Q II .C a Hranllortl HI Charing 990 Uuuer Wentworth SI. 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