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By ANGELA BLACKBURN Oakville Beaver Staff oday about 60,000 Halton students headed back to class. I Some 42,350 students returned to Halton‘s public school sysâ€" tem about 210 fewer than last year. Most of the 1.60% decline in The separate school board did enrolment was realized at the secâ€" open three new schools as of ondary level with a O.51% today â€" two of which are in increase at the elementary level. Oakville â€" bringing its school Fewer students heading to class Halton‘s Roman Catholic School Board welcomed approxiâ€" mately 17,000 students back to classes last year but enrolment figures for this year aren‘t yet available Today‘s INSIDE High school numbers down, elementary figures up slightly Paper Malta remembers Bridging the Sixteen gee A Metroland Community Newspaper BURNS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS Woolco, Ashbrooks, Pharma Plus, Moores The Suit People, Sears, Sears, Overdrive, Fashion Canadian Publications Mail Product Agreement #435â€"201 100% Government Guaranteed Strip Coupons Maturing in 2003 Early dropouts Norman and Daly pull out of Open Page 11 8.40%5 Page 15 Page 3 Mark Slipp (416) 359â€"4633 UMITED RAF veteran receives medal from Malta Bridges span 150 years of town‘s history 1ange E. OUOAKVILLE BEAVER The separate school board did open three new schools as of today â€" two of which are in Oakville â€" bringing its school count in Halton to 37 (including two Oakville high schools, 12 eleâ€" mentary schools and one Frenchâ€" only school). Our Lady of Peace opened to over 450 elementary students in River Oaks. The new River Glen Boulevard school offers a new home to many students from the River Oaks and West Oak Trails communities who‘d been attendâ€" ing the already established St. John school south of Upper Middle Road. In Clearview, St. Luke School also opened today on Kingsway Drive offering a long awaited home to over 400 students who‘d been attending class at St. Vincent School on the more southeasterly Braeside Drive in Oakville. Halton‘s public school board didn‘t open any new schools in Oakville this year â€" having opened the new Oakvilleâ€" Trafalgar High School last September and planning to open the new Iroquois Ridge High School next September under forâ€" mer General Wolfe High School principal Barry Finlay. The third new separate school is Ecole Sacre Coeur in Georgetown where students attending their Frenchâ€"only school had been sharing facilities with the existing Holy Cross School. Finlay who was appointed the new high school‘s principal back in 1991 has until this year been planning while working at Wolfe. This year he will work solely on gearing up for the new northeast high school‘s opening which should provide some relief for the Nothing wrong with new business venture says Jelinek Oakville Beaver Staff By HOWARD MOZEL Anyone accusing Otto Jelinek of using his Cabinet position to further his personal objectives was advised this week by the former Revenue minister to "do their homework." The Oakvilleâ€"Milton MP â€" who announced in the spring he would not run in the upcoming federal election â€" has been named president of Matthews Asia Inc., a large international developer/contractor. The new position, he explained, is one he accepted after he relinquished the Revenue portfolio and has been phasing himself into only during the past month. The parent company of Matthews â€" Asia is _ the Mississaugaâ€"based Matthews Group Inc., part of the Paxport Development consortium which has leased Terminals 1 and 2 at Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto. Jelinek balked at any suggestion of impropriety, explaining that the Paxport deal was struck last December â€" long before he even (See ‘Schools‘ page 4) See ‘MP‘ page 4 ‘Canada ¢ Best &mramiff Me easspaper ‘fCCNA Better Newspap Vol. 31 No.107 ‘taownmeornunanien s By ANGELA BLACKBURN Oakville Beaver Staff s students head back to Alschool Wednesday, so oo do local crossing guards â€" their numbers climbing annually as Oakville grows. And the crossing guards‘ plea is also their annual appeal to the public â€" in particular motonists â€" to be patient with the crossing guards and mindful about chilâ€" dren‘s safety. "This year there‘s about the same number (of guards) north of the QEW, as south," said Town of Oakville Crossing Guard coâ€"ordinator John Wilson. Safety remains a priority as children head back to school There will be 30 guards working at school crossings in south Oakville this year while 29 will take up their stop signs north of the QEW. A total 74 fullâ€"time and partâ€" time guards will work at 54 school crossings in Oakville. "Zero tolerance" will be the aim of Operation Bus Watch as it heads into what it hopes will be another successful school year. This year, the guards under new Town of Oakville employâ€" ment prerequisite rules have all undergone sight and hearing tests as well as police backâ€" ground checks. The project is a joint venture among the Halton Regional Police, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and local school boards and school bus operators. Launched last year, Halton Regional Police Sgt. Joe Martin said, "The project greatly reduced school bus infractions and bus drivers reported a marked decrease in violations since its inception." Police won‘t tolerate school bus offences Operation Bus Watch saw 127 persons conâ€" tacted and cautioned by police for school bus related offences last year. "Because of its success and operational ease, the program will be continued throughout Halton Region again this coming school year," said Martin. Thousands of children will be heading back to school today and they will need crossing guards to see them safely across many intersections. But too many motorists are not obeying traffic laws putting students who use crosswalks and buses, at risk. Two guards will take up duty Our coâ€"ordinated purpose and focus still WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER C.0000000000ommmomttonnmmmtmtantme N. at new crossings added to the growing list this year to service two new Halton Roman Catholic elementary schools. One of those new crossings is on Kingsway Drive at St. Luke Separate School; the other, on River Glen Boulevard at Our Lady of Peace Separate School. Among the town‘s busiest crossings, that require the postâ€" ing of two guards, are those at Maple Grove Road and Devon Road; Dorval Drive and Mary Street and Oxford Avenue and Upper Middle Road. Wilson is quick to note the heavy traffic volume crossings of Maple Grove Road and Devon, where the opening of the new Oakvilleâ€"Trafalgar High School has added to the volume. Dorval and Mary is another JOHN WILSON Of 6 ping when guards are out in the middle of the road, they‘re disreâ€" garding the stop sign." *"We‘ve had drivers of cars not stopâ€" remains the overall safety of our children using the school bus system. Zero tolerance and police intervention will continue to be our purpose," said Martin. The penalties for offences are stiff too under the Highway Traffic Act. SA igs Failing to stop for a school bus â€" while it‘s traveling in the opposite direction (except where there‘s a separating median) or if it‘s 20 metres ahead of a motorist â€" carries a minimum $265 fine with a maximum $1,000 fine on a first offence. Drivers also accrue six demerit points on their licence. For subsequent offences, the penalty is a miniâ€" mum $500 fine and maximum$2,000 fine or imprisonment for not more than six months â€" or both. Failing to stop for a school crossing guard‘s stop sign carries with it a $90 fine. RBC CALL FOR yOUR _ â€" _ COMPLIMENTARY _ DOMINION (GUIDE SECURITIES To ESTATE PLANNING )0 busy spot for vehicular traffic and while there‘s only one guard on Nottinghill Gate at the Pilgrim‘s Way plaza, Wilson says the plaza adds to the mayâ€" hem at the fourâ€"way stop crossâ€" ing. The perils which Wilson and others hope to keep under conâ€" trol in the coming school year remain and hence the pleas to motorists to remember school will be back in action. "We‘ve had drivers of cars not stopping when guards are out in the middle of the road, they‘re disregarding the stop sign," said Wilson. "We‘ve had a few close calls," admitted Wilson, adding the fear of guards who are disâ€" obeyed is only compounded by the thought that children could (See ‘Crossing‘ page 2) Crossing guards are trained to venture into the roadway with their stop sign up and to keep it up until they exit the roadway, so as not to give any motorists the wrong idea by lowering the sign. a The offenders? "Those who are either not paying attention or just can‘t wait," said Wilson. 60 Pages DR DR #19\ JC Peel cop faces assault charge A 24â€"yearâ€"old Oakville resiâ€" dent, a Peel Regional Police offiâ€" cer was arrested Sunday and held pending a bail hearing after a 25â€" yearâ€"old Oakville woman reportâ€" ed being assaulted during an argument. At 9:15 a.m. Sunday, the woman reported to Halton Regional Police that she‘d been physically assaulted during an argument. The woman told police she‘d been struck on the head and later sought medical attention for what police called minor injuries. After an investigation by Oakville detectives, a man was arrested and held in police cusâ€" tody pending a bail hearing set for yesterday (Tuesday). akevilhe Facing a charge of assault and breach of probation is 24â€"yearâ€"old Charles Morden of Oakville. Morden is a uniform patrol offiâ€" cer employed with the Peel Regional Police. He held the rank of constable. Ford of Canada vehicle sales for August were up 4.2% over the same period a year ago. Leading the way for the sales rise were the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable with a 23% sales increase over August 1992. Udo Kaul, the company‘s viceâ€" pres.â€"general sales, said Ford‘s oneâ€"price selling strategy for the midâ€"sized cars was proving very popular. Car sales for the month were up 8.4% while truck sales were up marginally for the period. On a yearâ€"toâ€"date basis, Ford sales are up 3.7% with car sales up slightly. and truck sales up 8.2% for the period. Police said the car stolen from 370 Lakeshore Road East sustained a lot of damage and had its rear trunk ruined and its stereo stolen. Ford sales up 4.2% in August A third car, a 1981 Audi 400â€"model was stolen Sunday night and found early Monday morning at the Clarkson High School in Mississauga. Police are also investigating a nasty vandalism incident that occurred early Monday mornâ€" ing when someone smashed a headlight and the ignition of a 1984 Buick Century parked on Merchant‘s Gate before pouring diesel fuel all over the car. Police estimated damage at $1,500. A 16â€"yearâ€"old Oakville boy, who cannot be named under the Young Offenders Act, is facing an October 13 appearance in Oakville Youth Court on a charge of sexual assault. The 1982 black Dodge van was described as a B 25 model. The owner, who‘d just bought the vehicle, didn‘t yet know what its licence plate was, said police. ) NAT HAN Halton Regional Police are looking for a van that disapâ€" peared from a Marine Drive parking lot Saturday night. Police said the victim and her attacker knew each other. A 16â€"yearâ€"old Oakville boy is facing charges after a 14â€"yearâ€"old girl reported being sexually assaulted last Friday night. Halton Regional Police said the assault involved wasn‘t a rape but touching and happened in the stairwell of an Bronte Road apartâ€" ment building around 8 p.m. Vehicles stolen and vandalized over weekend TEVEN SOLOMON Teenager charged with sexual assault 75 Cents (GST included) LH} Place Mall KAZDAN O abcvilte