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C m M U tu ty P U w fp q tw ' \^ o tu ia v 3 C idel Riven SALES REPRESENTATIVE OAKVILLE-CENTRE 3 3 8 -9 90 U0 U0 U % ? * & * * F or Customer Service RF/MKK CO N VEN A nd Luxury In E very Room (905) 842-5000 i a t* alm tocuHP, REALTY C0RP REALTOR A Metroland Publication Vol. 38 No. 1 4 5 S U N D A Y ,D E C E M B E R1 0,20 00 24 Pages 7 5C en ts Plus GST School boards face challenges ahead B rin g back trust says new public board chair B y D e n n is S m ith Catholic chain Time to end labour strife By K*n Amott SPECIALTOTHE BEAVER The new chair o f the Halton Catholic District School Board says that main taining labour peace and finding quality teachers during a period o f growth will be two o f the biggest challenges facing the school board in the coming years. Burlington trustee A1 Bailey, elected on Tuesday night as the new chair o f the board, noted that a three-year deal with the board's secondary school teachers will expire at the end o f August. He hopes the Catholic board will be able to avoid the labour strife that has been seen in boards across the province this fall as high school teachers have negotiated new contracts. "I'd like our negotiations to start as early as possible," he said. Finding good teachers will also con tinue to be a challenge, Bailey believes. Facing a province-w ide teacher shortage, the Halton Catholic board has been searching for teachers in New York and in the Atlantic provinces. Bailey says the staffing issue may be (See `V iana' page 4) SPECIALTOTHE BEAVER It's time to restore trust in the public education system , according to the n ew ly-elected chair o f the Halton District School Board. Ethel Gardiner was re-elected as chair, Wednesday, for a fourth consecu tive one-year term. Trustees chose her over Burlington's M ichael Ellis, last year's vice-chair. Oakville trustee Mary Chapin was elected new vice-chair over two Burlington representatives, David Abbott and Peggy Russell. Following the votes, Gardiner said the board must defend and support the public education system and keep doors to the system open. "There is no question that trust in public education has diminished," she said. "We must do everything within our power to restore that trust." The Halton Hills trustee noted educa tion restructuring has posed many chal lenges and the board has creatively found solutions. "Often, staff and resources have been stretched to the limit," said Gardiner. "Yet, as the turmoil o f the last three years swirled around us, you could walk into any school in Halton and find engaged, happy students thriving in warm, nurturing learning environ ments." She said the new strategic plan is the board's most important piece o f work in recent memory. It provides a vision and guiding prin ciples for the board and work has begun on implementing its 92 recommenda tions, said the chair. (S ee `C h a ir' page 4) INSIDE today' s paper Update________ Tr n p I.................. __________ 17 Snorts wpVI fcO ............... ________18-19 Classified 20-23 VlaOOl vMiMN.Himi S p ecial S u p p le m e n ts ForH o m eD e fo e n d Photo by Peter C. McCusker D A D D Y 'S L ITTLE H E L P E R : Young Marco Baccellieri, helping his dad dig out their Pilgrims Way driveway, were among the thousands of Oakville residents who found themselves shoveling out from under the season's first heavy snowfall Friday morning. PartialDelwery: TheBay, 1.0. FmeFoods, Sears, W al-M art, T . 0. FmeFoods, Ho-Lee-ChowRestaurant, Shop&Save, KeenePharmacy, Little Caesars, PharmaPlus, Fortmo' s, RabbaFmeFoods, RetailD rugs, Sears W holeHome, The Oakville Beaver is a recyclable product. C anadian P ublications M ail P roduct A greem ent #435-201 C a n a d ia n Tire and O a k v ille ... A W in n in g C o m b in a t io n ! ` C a n a d i a nT i r e ' s A t h le t eo ft h eW e e k C o u r tn e y K ir k b y Q .E. Park was the fem ale com petitor in Sundays Jingle Bell run. of top last 5K L N E W S T O R E O P E N IN S P F in g ; D unaas iHvvv -5 }S T ix v a r UPPER OAKVILLE SHOPPING CENTRE Upper Middle Road at 8th Line 8 4 9 -8 4 7 3 OAKTOWN SHOPPING PLAZA 550 Kerr Street 8 4 4 4 )2 0 2 Please drop by your nearest Canadian T ie to pick up your g ift certificate. W a yt og o! ! ! __V