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Friday, May 14, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Sparse turnout at first Oakville all-candidates meeting (Continued from page 1) Family Coalition Party candidate Adrian Ratelle said more free votes are a must and added that people should have the right to recall mem­ bers who vote against their wishes. A system in which MPPs simply ape what their leader does must end. Teachers - who have long felt they've been ignored and were well- represented Wednesday - asked the candidates what they would do to heal the wounds opened in the last four years. Flynn, who said the Harris govern­ ment has "devalued" teachers, would invite them to the table when decisions are being made and not use them as scapegoats. "This government is masterful at setting people against each other," he said. Carr admitted things have gotten "off track" and said the rhetoric and division on both sides must end and a clear mandate created to build back* trust. Cain said the first order of business should be to remove those "insulting" education advertisements. If elected, the NDP will not simply tinker with Bill 160, it will scrap the legislation entirely, he promised. Those with little or no say - such as children living in poverty and families ta n o without adequate housing - were also championed by the candidates. Cain, for example, said poverty and home­ lessness are the direct result of welfare cuts, scrapped rent controls, job­ killing Free Trade and a scarcity of public housing. The NDP, Cain explained, would divert $250 million to build 30,000 public housing units over four years. (The cash would come from the $1.5 billion saved from eliminating the lat­ est income tax cut to Ontario's wealth­ iest residents.) Ratelle - who said "we should all be ashamed" by children going to school hungry - said funds would be freed up for social programs by siphoning them away from "useless programs". The skills necessary for wealth creation should be encouraged, he said, so that people can buy their own homes and prepare for the future. Flynn said the Liberals will offer a new children's benefit for food, shelter and clothing and bring back rent con­ trols. PST rebates for low income housing building materials will be instituted and more money funneled into Children's Aid Societies. Carr said past waste in the non­ profit housing system must be eradi­ cated. As for child poverty, he said changes in the child support system to make dead-beat dads pay is essential as is mediation instead of the more confrontational court system. The provincial breakfast program for chil­ dren should also be expanded, said Carr. Property taxes were also a hot topic. Carr - who said he fought hard against Current Value Assessment but lost - explained that he would leave the appropriate system up to local munic­ ipalities. Flynn, who is against any market- based system, said that if elected he would try to scrap the next scheduled provincial assessment and push for Unit Value Assessment. "I believe I can convince a Liberal government to go for that," he said. Ratelle said any new system should be decided by referendum and placed in the hands of local govern­ ment. "We believe in pushing decision­ making as far down as possible," he said. Cain agreed with Ratelle, as long as provincial standards are established, he said. As for the environment, Ratelle said political parties should be allowed to accept campaign contributions only from individuals - no corporations or unions. More enforcement of regula­ tions is also needed. Carr said the number of enforce­ ment officers is not the answer but rather more power for the ones that already exist. Cain said the NDP will spend $50 million over four years to hire scien­ tists to "re-regulate" the environment. Self-regulation by corporations does not work, he said. Flynn said the Liberals would introduce their new Ontario Clean Air Act and hire back at least 100 environ­ mental enforcement officers. Tory o p p o n e n ts ta k e a lic k in g in b u rg e r p o ll The opening day results are in from the Lick's Burger Poll, and they have a decidedly right wing flavour to them. Voters turned up at Lick's fastfood restaurants around the province yesterday and gave Premier Mike Harris a mouthful of support, ordering up 50.6% of the votes for Ontario's Progressive Conservative party. The Liberals followed in second, scoring 35.8% of Lick's customers votes, while the NDP managed a mere 8.4% of support. Parties listed as 'Other' received the final 5.2% of the votes. While this is certainly no reason to assume that the Tories have the inside track on an election victory, Lick's does like to boast that since their Burger Poll began in 1978, they have predicted the winning party correctly every time. The Burger Poll continues at all Lick's locations in Ontario, including the three in Oakville, until the June 3rd election date. Make sure you're on the voters list [me Sale Fveryo'Sf Waits for..?O inionAs Oakville residents prepare to cast their ballots in the June 3rd provincial election, it's important to be aware of the minor details that could make or break an individual's eligibility to go to the polls. A week ago, Warren R. Bailie, the Chief Election Officer of Ontario, announced that the Permanent Register of Electors for Ontario (PREO) will be used to prepare the preliminary Voters Lists for this year's provincial general election. The PREO replaces the need to com­ plete door-to-door enumeration, so don't be expecting anyone to come knocking this time around. Places of high mobility or great changes in population may expe­ rience some door-to-door canvassing. Registered voters should receive a reg­ istration card in the mail within the next week. If, by late next week, you are a qualified voter and have not received a registration card, call your riding office to have your name placed on the list. There are two ridings representing Oakville residents this year -- Oakville and Halton. The Oakville riding includes all residents south of Upper Middle Rd., west of Winston Churchill Blvd. and east of Burloak Drive. The phone number for Oakville riding is 844-6774. The Halton riding includes all Oakville residents living north of Upper Middle Rd. Halton riding's phone num­ ber is 875-2454. All-Candidates Meetings Monday, May 17th The Halton Violence Prevention Council is holding an Oakville riding all-candidates meeting at the Glen Abbey United Church at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 18th The Federation of Oakville Residents Groups Inc. (FORG) is holding an all-candidates meeting for the Halton riding at White Oaks Secondary School, 1330 Montclair Dr., at 7:30 p.m. Advanced polls will take place in the Oakville riding from May 22nd-28th (except Sunday the 23rd), at the Returning Office, 468 Morden Rd. From May 26th-28th, you may also cast an early ballot at three other locations -- the Oakville Municipal Building, Sir John Colbome Centre for Seniors and Thi Senior Citizen Centre located at 263 Kerrv St. Advance polls most convenient for Oakville residents in the Halton riding include the Croatian Catholic Mission at 1280 Trafalgar Rd., St. Paul's Catholic Church at 2265 Headon Rd. in Burlington and Tansley United Church at 2111 Walkers Line in Burlington. These will run from May 26th-28th. The Returning Office for Halton riding, located at 17 Wilson Dr. Unit #1 in Milton will have an advance poll the week of May 24th-28th. Advance polls are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at all locations. W h o D o e s Your Hair... 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