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4 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday January 31, 2009 www.oakvillebeaver.com Public board and elementary school teachers still talking By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF A potential Feb. 13 strike vote by public elementary teachers in Halton has been averted due to progress made this week on contract talks between the union and the Halton District School Board. The Halton Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) Local met with school board staff on Tuesday for contract negotiations. David Clegg, ETFO provincial president, made an announcement in early January that a strike vote would be called for if significant progress was not made on contract talks by Feb. 13. Although an agreement was not reached this week, the talks were fruitful, according to Maureen Weinberger, president the Halton ETFO Local. "My understanding is that the Feb. 13 date was about the ability to see what boards were tabling and we have now done that and I believe, with respect to that particular date, that guideline has been met," said Weinberger. "Each side knows what's on the table, so we will be continuing to bargain." Negotiations are expected to continue at a followup bargaining date set for Feb. 11, Weinberger said. "We're still at the table and we continue to work away at some things," she said. "We're not about to ink anything, but we're still talking, which is a good thing. We will continue to bargain in good faith and hope to reach a settlement that everybody is happy with." There are about 2,000 members of Halton ETFO. They, along with 71,000 other public elementary teachers with the union across Ontario have been without a contract since Aug. 31. Weinberger said both sides are cooperating, with another bargaining date already scheduled for April if the Feb. 11 talks are not successful. There has been no new strike vote deadline date set at this time. "We just have continuing (bargaining) dates," she said. However, Weinberger said it could be awhile before a deal is reached. "We are still working away on indi- vidual clauses and we still have a lot of work to do," she said. "Some things it is clear we'll probably be able to find common ground after a little bit more discussion, there are other areas, as usually is the case, where we are farther apart and that is going to take a whole lot more work." She said that traditionally, Halton ETFO is not the first local union in the province to ink a deal with its school board. "The pattern here in Halton over the years, with or without strike votes, with or without sanctions, has been we're seldom a lead board to settle," she said. "We usually are later on in the lineup. I would doubt we will be a frontrunner this time around, but things are still moving forward. From our point of view, we would like things to move more quickly and feel we've tabled very reasonable positions on things that we would like to see some movement on." Although neither party is able to go into detail about specific issues being discussed, one of the items up for debate is salary. Discussions between the Ministry of Education and the ETFO in the fall saw a deal put on the table that included a 12.55 per cent salary increase over four years. The deadline to accept that deal passed, with the last provincial salary offer on the table being a four per cent increase over two years. This number is being negotiated, CHECK INSIDE according to Weinberger. "There are two positions on the table -- the union's position and the board's position," said Weinberger. "We are not in agreement on that at this point in time." The majority of new elementary teachers hired by the public school board have a starting salary of either $43,208 or $46,438. The highest paid teachers, with 11 years or more of experience, make $84,086 per year. School board staff did not return calls to com- ment on negotiations before press time on Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, public secondary school teachers in Halton ratified their contract with the school board on Jan. 26. Included in that agreement is a 12 per cent wage increase over four years, as well as agreements to work on improving future benefits, reducing workloads, resolving large class sizes and hiring at least six full-time secondary school teachers for the start of the 2009-10 school year. Council urged to keep employment lands By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Trailhead Grade 10 BCP Grade 11-12 Bronte Creek Project www.fredastaire.ca Glen Oaks has the solution. The key is our all-in-one facility... Making final arrangements is like fitting together a puzzle. Glen Oaks has all the pieces right here for cremation, cemetery, visitation, reception and more. Why struggle with multiple locations? 5 4 20 1 months classrooms without borders credits new friends awesome experience Halton's Environmental Leadership Program Gary Allan High School Simplify life. Call for your FREE Info Kit: 905 257-1100 DROP IN! Trailhead & BCP Find Out More! 401 Derry Rd. OPEN HOUSE Wed. Feb. 18th, 2009 6:30 to 8:30 pm Sidrabene Site 5100 Appleby Line BCP/Trailhead Open House Cemetery, Crematorium, Mausoleum, Memorial Chapel & Reception Centre Hwy. 403 & Dundas St. · www.glenoaks.ca GLEN OAKS MEMORIAL GARDENS 905-331-3500 Hwy 5 (Dundas) The only one of its kind in the area! www.brontecreekproject.org experience education QEW A proposal to place a high-density residential building, which could be as high as 20 storeys, at the southwest corner of Dundas Street and Trafalgar Road, received a cold reception during a Monday meeting of Oakville's Planning and Development Council. The developer, Ontario Limited, is calling on council to change the zoning of the now vacant area to permit the establishment of 300 residential units per site hectare. The current zoning allows for only 185 residential units per site hectare and restricts the height on any building to 12 storeys. The idea of bringing a residential building to an area currently zoned for office and other commercial uses did not sit well with many in the audience. "We have an uptown core that is supposed to be a work, live, play area and we're turning it into a live, live, live area," said local resident George Brown. "The question becomes what's the transportation? Normally we stick these developments near a rail corridor or a highway corridor and we have stuck this one out by itself." Brown said that without places to work and places for entertainment in the immediate vicinity, those living at the proposed Dundas/Trafalgar development would join the throngs of existing daily commuters and further choke Trafalgar Road. Oakville's business community also took a dim view of the project. "I'd like to say that the Chamber opposes any conversion of employment land to residential land," said Aby Alameddine, chair of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. "Currently, businesses make up around 13.4 per cent of the assessment base while paying over 19 per cent of the property tax. Property taxes paid by businesses keeps residential taxes lower and Oakville has one of the lowest business to residential ratios in the Greater Toronto Area." Alameddine said this low ratio means that everyday, around 60 per cent of Oakville's population leaves to work elsewhere. This need to commute leads to highway congestion, pollution and residents spending less time at home with their families because they are stuck on the roads, something which Alameddine notes is not conducive to the goal of becoming the most livable Town in Canada. After hearing the public comments, staff was directed to consider them in making their final recommendation to council. This recommendation will come before council at a later date. Walker's Ln. Appleby Ln.