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311 Armstrong Ave. Sales Representative aud management RITEWAY AUTOBODY Celebrate with tho: Have a.safe and happy holiday! SS 0000000 ROYAL LEPAGE Donna Robbins KE 111101 Sunday, December 26,\1993 - By Teresa Pitman Special to HHTW ut in recent the last five years, those Hong Kong, England, Portugal, Poland and India Most often as their previous jomes. Oakville was the primary. destination or over 50 per of newcomers to followed by Burlington (37 per cent), For decades, the majority of immigrants into Halton Tegion were of British or Western European origin. years, Halton’s population has not only grown rapidly, it has become more diverse. Over coming to Halton listed Milton (7 per cent) and Halton Hills (5 per cent). Maria Antonakos present- ed those statistics at a recent workshop organized by the Halton Partnership for Multicultural/Anti-Racist Organizational Change to demonstrate how the demo- graphics of Halton are changing. Increasingly, new a arrivals bring new cultures, skills and talents into the region. Over 60 per cent indicate an ability to com- municate in one of the two official languages, while 39 per cent speak neither French nor English on arrival. As Antonakos explains: 877-8685 BEA ‘DON'T LUG A VACUUM-PLUG IN A BEAM!" All Systems Go For A Very Our Customers Are Our Best Advertising! 164 Gueiph St., Halton Hille; Ont. se you love. 877-0173 BUNDLES OF LOVE ...and a holiday filled with joy Ruffins Pet Centre ——+ 140 Guelph St. (next to Georgetown Fruit Market): 873-0933 The demographics of Halton are chan “This trend is continuing, and will have considerable impact on all the service agencies who work with these new immigrants. Service agencies need to plan to meet the unique needs of immigrants, and to Teach out into the communi- ty to provide more effective and accessible services.” Corrie Galloway, a Supervisor with the Halton Children’s Aid Society, Points out that it takes more than simply finding an inter- Preter to translate what is being said. “We need to understand each other, or we will not be able to com- municate effectively.” The Partnership, which has representatives from the Halton Children’s Aid Society, Halton Social Planning Council, Halton Multicultural Council, Halton Regional Police Service, egional Municipality of Halton, Halton Board of Education and Halton Roman Catholic Separate School Board, was created. because the various groups felt they needed to work together to deal with these changes effectively. They wanted to be able to Provide services that would be sensitive to the needs of various ethnic and cultural groups, and to ensure equal ee = OO ___$__$_ ging access to job openings and volunteer positions, among other goals. Besides meeting with the Partnership, each Participat- ing organization also has an internal committee working on these issues. The workshop, held at the Regional offices on Nov. 5, included a film on “Managing Diversity”, case studies and a presentation by Barb Justason of the Ontario Human Rights Commission. While the Partnership is primarily concerned with multicultur- al issues, Justason also touched on the rights of People with disabilities. At the conclusion of the workshop, representatives of each participating groups Met together and committed to a plan to begin the Process of change in their organization. While the workshop was both informative and pro- ductive, Corrie Galloway sees it as only a beginning. “Change is always difficult. But Halton is definitely changing, and it’s essential for our organizations to change in order to keep, up with our community. We think this Partnership will be an effective waystp do it” F Halton Hills This Week 2254 holiday season. Have a great one! from the management a 162 Guelph St., Georgetown 873-2611 EXERCISE EQUIPMENT RENTALS / SALES / SERVICE support. Many thanks for your valued JSriendship and Suburban (91) Inc. a DONNA MASON Sales Rep. BILL LAMBERINK Associate Broker GREETINGS ~ Rejoice... RE/MAX BLUE SPRINGS REALTY (HALTON) INC,