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We can fix it! for most makes & models fro m w imparts CU R R EN TP O W ERM A C H IN ER YIN C . 1661 Lakesfiore Rd. W. Mississauga (2 block east of Southdown Road in Clarkson) >1044 Lawnmower Service SCO Taking it one Tuning up at step at a time Summer camp Focus A rtscene NO \ M(Mi'( )lnn( i I > u l)li( <Ui( >n A 'S V< > 1 . ;i<) N o . l()4 fti HLLE 1 ! A W A R D ED C O M M U fJ . \ ( ( il S I 2 H , 2< K >2 VVHl >Nl SI )A Family and friends mourn murdered man Russell (Rusty) Bailey was remem bered Monday as someone who, despite the responsibilities of being a lc>ving family man, still possessed the energetic spirit of a little boy. Although a grown man with six chil dren, Bailey was painted at his funeral Monday afternoon at St. John's United Church as a generous and active adult with the perpetually scraped knees of a child. Bailey died Aug. 21 after being shot in front of his Dundas home. His exwife Ruth-Anne Willis, 39, has been charged with first degree murder in con nection with his death. Bailey grew up in Oakville and his parents still reside in town. Monday's funeral service provided the opportunity for siblings, children and friends alike to take turns reinforc ing what those in attendance already knew, that Bailey was giving and loving and that he will be missed. A patient man who shared his good humour and his time, Bailey was also free with even his money and on one occasion helped a loved one put a down payment on an apartment, mourners were told. Bailey - often fashionably late, but whose presence was worth the wait was not shy about buying the latest elec tronic gadgets and rather than just use them, he understood how they worked, the service was told. There also wasn't a computer Bailey could not repair. As a "celebration and thanksgiving" of Bailey's life, the service allowed for laughter to ripple occasionally through the packed church as loved ones recounted Bailey's humourous and mis chievous side, such as his penchant for changing the lyrics of songs to hilarious effect. In fact, music played a meaningful role in Bailey's life and supplied a mov ing backdrop to Monday's service, such as the popular songs like California Dreaming that mourners heard as they gathered to pay their respects. Part-way through the service, Bailey's daughter Melanie and niece Caitlin even performed the instrumental horn duet "Seek Ye First the Kingdom." Love was the central theme of the afternoon service, however, and a close (See `Church' page A3) Teachers go back to school -- for now Labour peace could end in February By Kim Amott SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Barrie Erskine · Oakville Beaver C lose Call: Looks can be deceiving. Seven-year-old Drew Rymill, of Cambridge, looks like he was hit in the head by Kassandra Dell's skateboard, but it actually just missed him. After that close call, however, both Drew and his nine-year-old brother Shawn chose new seats during the Ride Like a Girl contest at the Oakville Skate Park on Saturday. Dell was not injured in the fall. For more information on the event, see page A3. The head of Hal ton's public high school teachers' union is promising patience - for a while. The Halton District School Board's secondary school teachers will return to the classroom next Tuesday without a contract. Their current collective agreement expires at the end of August, as does the deal between the board and its elementary teachers. Joe Harwood, president of District 20 of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF), said the two sides will soon sit down to discuss non-monetary contract "We're fully aware that issues. we're patient until But deal-making is largely November and then on hold until a review of the provincial funding formula for we'll do some analyzing education is completed in and if things are not November. positive, we'll consider And if that review doesn't result in more money for some action for school boards to pass along to February." their teachers, union officials · Joe Harwood, president are promising a difficult sec o f District 20 o f the ond term. Ontario Secondary School Last week, Earl Manners, Teachers' Federation president of OSSTF. warned (OSSTF) that members could be pre pared to strike as early as February, if new collective agreements aren't negotiated by then. Like the Halton board, many of the province's 69 school boards have passed balanced budgets that include no addi tional money for contract negotiations. "We're fully aware that we're patient until November and then we'll do some analyzing and if things are not positive, we'll consider some action for February," said Harwood. He believes Halton teachers agree with that plan, although (See `No' page A3) Study says province shortchanging school boards By Tim Whitnell SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER An independent study of provincial government funding of education con cludes that the majority of Ontario's public school boards, including Halton's, are severely underfunded. The statistics generated by the Ottawa-based Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, via an article pub lished recently by CCPA executive board member Hugh Mackenzie, indi cates per student net funding is $2 bil lion less than it should be under the Conservative government. Mackenzie's study, entitled Cutting The funding formula has left the Halton District School board $660 below what it should be receiving in per student funding; that amounts to a $29-million shortfall since 1997. · Conclusion o f independent study by the Canadian Centre fo r Policy Alternatives Classes: Elementary and Secondary Education Funding in Ontario 2002-03, utilized current and historical data from the Ministry of Education. It makes funding projections for the upcoming school year for all 72 publicly-funded boards. Mackenzie says that since the gov ernment ordered the consolidation of school boards in Ontario and took con trol of their funding, implementing a funding formula in 1997, more total dollars have been put into education. However, he concludes that the net effect is the massive general underfund ing of the education system, after fac toring in rises in student enrolment and related costs, such as teacher hirings and board employee contracts and salary grid considerations. The study specifically states that the funding formula has left the Halton District School Board $660 below what it should be receiving in per student funding; that amounts to a $29-million shortfall since 1997, according to the Mackenzie report. HDSB administration repeatedly stated this past spring that it was in need of about $4 million more in order to meet the needs of its projected 2002-03 budget of about $289 million. Officials reluctantly recommended chopping more than $4 million in per sonnel and programs, since no further funding was forthcoming; trustees then equally reluctantly passed a balanced (See `Study' page A7) Hi-tech building replaces old Ford headquarters By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Editorials................... A6 Fall Registration B1 Focus........................ Cl Sports...................... C8 Best Wheels.............. D1 Classified.................. D4 P artial Delivery: Sport Chek, The Brick, Staples Business Depot, Guardian Drugs, Home Depot, National Sports Centre, Lakeshore Place Retirement, Hoopers Pharmacy', Cogeco, Future Shop, Sears, The Bav, Hy & Zel' s C a n a d ia nP u b lic a tio n sM a il P r o d u c tA g r e e m e n t# 4 3 5 -2 0 1 Ford of Canada's new headquarters may possess the same 600-employee capacity as its predecessor, but the environment in which workers find themselves is truly worlds apart. To make the building more "functional and friend ly," explained Vice President of Public Affairs John Jelinek, it features an improved cafeteria, expanded fitness centre, aerobics studio, ATM, convenience store, "oasis" areas for breaks and an open concept with lots of natural light. "Employees aren't automatons," said Jelinek. "We have tried to make (the building) better for them, rec ognizing they're spending more time there than ever before." Less aesthetic, but just as important, the building is loaded with state-of-the-art communications technolo gy that will, for example, support wireless laptop feeds from company servers. The headquarters - which fea tures fibre optic cables to accommodate video confer(See `New' page A4) Peter C. McCusker · Oakville Beaver Ford of Canada's new hi-tech corporate headquarters sits next to the building which served as company headquarters for 41 years. < ; L O C K W O O D II R Y S I. 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