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123 NAVY Stftv'fiT * For the finest in CUSTOM UPHOLSTERING call Baier's. Makers of fine upholstered fiimiture. 2333 Wwcroft Road, Unit 7 O V T 01 (between BmnteA Third Line> Chouinard set to Y2sK8 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29,2000 AMetroland Publication V ol. 3 8No. 3 8 Region says plan will end gridlock Traffic woes on QEW prompt action Transportation. The reasons for getting it off the ground were threefold. First, emer Halton drivers should be able to kiss gency response has been hamstrung by gridlock goodbye thanks to the traffic tie ups caused by major acci dents. Region's new road closure plan. "Our response throughout Halton is It was officially launched at a threatened," said Friday morning media " For anyone who has Murphy. "We have briefing held at the Regional offices in ever had the misfortune gridlock within two of sitting in traffic on a miles of the route withOakville. closed freeway for an in an hour." What it revealed was And since the transa comprehensive blue hour or two, it's obvious print to keep traffic why we had to do this." portation of goods via moving in the event of -Pat Murphy Halton s planning tmck accounts for about and public works director $70 billion worth of eco a highway shutdown. nomic development in the "For anyone who has ever had the misfortune of sitting in greater Toronto area, gridlock can also lead traffic on a closed freeway for an hour to a cash crunch. or two, it's obvious why we had to do "The economic impact of a road closure this," said Halton's planning and public in Halton is really something," said works director Pat Murphy. Muiphy. "It's absolutely critical that we The action plan was developed in keep traffic moving." partnership with area municipalities, (S e e `P la n ' p a g e A 4) emergency services and the Ministry of By Irene Gentle SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER M ILLENNIUM BABIES: The O ntario Hospital A ssociation is m ak ing special recognition o f the birth o f all babies on Jan. 1, 2000 through its Babies o f the N ew M illennium Program . In partnership with O ntario 2000, the province's pro gram to com m em orate the new mil lennium , new -bom s and their par ents receive a special certificate signed by Prem ier M ike H arris and O H A Board Chair, D. M urray M acK enzie. T he three m em orable children born at O akville Trafalgar M em orial Hospital on Jan. 1st are: (top 1 to r) Jaden Caitlin Kennedy Turner, Scott A lexander Form an and K aitlyn Em ily M ary Potter. All sm iles for the occasion (right) were: (1 to r) Teresa Turner, Sherry Form an, O akville M PP Gary C arr and Tracey Potter. Photos by Riziero Vertolli A g g r e s s iv e d r iv e r c a m p a ig n p a y in g o f f Halton Regional Police have released the second week's results of its "Aggressive Driving = Aggressive Enforcement" blitz. Armed with conventional radar and six LIDAR (Light D etection and Ranging) units, officers are on the lookout for everything from speeders and seat belt infractions to aggressive ^J iving and unsafe lat'e changes. A total of 148 charges were laid, including the 56 charges filed during Oakville spotchecks at Trafalgar and Upper Middle Road on March 21st. Six charges were filed in Burlington on March 20, 43 in Halton Hills on March 23, 28 in Milton on M arch 22 and 15 in Acton on March 24th. The rising frequency of fatal colli sions, personal injuries and property damage - plus an increasing number of other traffic related complaints - have resulted in police launching the new campaign targeting specific areas of the region. Last year saw 25 fatalities in Halton and this year shows no sign of slowing down: so far in 2000 seven people have died on Halton roads. S tu d e n ts , te a c h e rs s tru g g le w ith new fo u r-y e a r c u rric u lu m By Dennis Sm ith SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER The journey to high school gradua tion is becoming shorter, but some fear the load is also getting heavier. Grades 1-9 students are using a new provincial curriculum that will eventu ally extend through Grade 12. The OAC year (Grade 13) will be eliminated. Some Halton teacher union leaders say it's a big change for both staff and students. "The main concerns are the quick ness of change, new materials and unre alistic expectations," says Larry Chud, president of the Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers' Federation (District 20 Halton). "And the at-risk students' needs are not being addressed." But the Ministry of Education isn't apologizing for the provincially-mandated curriculum changes. "The Premier has made it quite clear a secondary school diploma has to mean som ething," noted Education Ministry spokesperson Dave Ross. "Parents have wanted a more rigorous curriculum." The new curriculum was introduced in elementary schools in 1997 and in Grade 9 last fall. Grades 10-12 will also be changed over the next three school years. Ross said textbooks are being sup plied in class to support the new cur riculum. Streaming into academic or applied levels will eventually ready students for the workforce or post-secondary educa tion, he adds. "The new curriculum is preparing students for life after graduation," said Ross. But Chud says while the new Grade 9 has academic and applied courses, there is no complete program at the basic level for needy students. ' He said this group would include students with learning disabilities, those with English as a second language. below average learners, students in per sonal crisis or those having trouble with adolescence. `There are many kinds of difficulties that can happen at any point in time," said Chud. Changes like new reporting cycles make it difficult for teachers to meet all students' needs, he said, adding there has been inadequate in-service for teachers on the new curriculum. `T he time and training has not been sufficient," said Chud. `Teachers can address the needs of every kid if there's a reasonable curriculum and time to do it." He's also concerned the province has no plans, yet, to analyse the new cur riculum's impact. "You need to look at it once you're through one cycle. With anything new you're going to have problems," said Chud. "You need to implement, check, assess and review, but there's not room here for this." The president of Halton's Catholic secondary teachers unit said the new curriculum has posed difficulties for both students and program delivery. "We'll need some time to get over them. We'll be trying to do things dif ferently in another semester," said Joe Pece of Halton's OECTA (Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association) (S e e `N e w ' p a g e A 5) IN S ID E today's paper Editorials................................... M Focus.......................................... B1 Business.....................................B6 Entertainment........................... C1 Classified...................................C4 Homes & Gardens...................... C8 Automotive................................. D1 Sports........................................ D6 Business.....................................D6 Hom e delivery: Hy & Zeis, BiWay, M C E Keybase Partial delivery: Cashway, White Rose, Sheridan Nurseries, Business Depot, City Parent, The Brick, CIMS Drugs, Brant Pre-School C anadian Publications M ail Product A greem ent #435-201 S e c o n d C it y in to w n If you're looking for a few laughs on Friday night, you might check out the Oakville Centre, where Second City makes an appearance. If you miss them, they'll be back April 1st and we all know the importance of that day. Call the Centre box office at 815-2021. P s s s s s s s t...w a n n ab eR e g io n a lC h a irm a n ? Photo by Barrie Erskine L O V E L Y L A S A G N A : R enee D ubois and Kellie Cottick, organizers o f the A pril 6th Lasagna N ight at Q ueen Elizabeth Park High School, do a little taste testing before the event. There will be two seatings, one at 5:30 p.m . and another at 7 p.m . The dinner includes lasagna with salad, rolls and drinks, along with live entertainm ent. Cost is $6 for stu d ents and $7 for adults. All proceeds go to the C anadian C ancer Society. Anyone interested in running for the position of Halton Regional chair during the November elections has until 5 p.m., Oct. 13th to put their name in the ring. Nomination papers must be sub mitted to the clerk's department at the Regional offices, 1151 Bronte Rd., in Oakville, along with a $100 fee. To be eligible, candidates must be residents of a Halton municipality, or a non-resident owner or tenant of land in the municipality, or a spouse of either. Candidates must also be Canadian citizens aged 18 years on or before election day. Judges, members of the legislature or senate, prison inm ates and Provincial employees are excluded by law from the position. The chair will be elected for the first time since Halton was formed in 1974. For more information, call Halton clerk Joan Eaglesham at 825-6000, 1= 200 0 CHRYSLER NEON 2.0L 16 valve, 132hp engine, auto, air, AM/FM/cassette, 4-wheel fully independent suspension, tilt, full console w/centre armrest, 60/40 split, dual ext. mirrors w / driver's side m anual remote, PeterWatson I N V E S T M E N T S RETIREMENT PLANNING SPECIALISTS 175 W y e c ro ft R oad, O akville 8 4 5 - 6 6 5 3 Free C o n s u lt a t io n 8 4 2 -2 1 0 0 Peter C Watson | M.H.V. CRP, |