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( Orono Weekly limes. Wednesday, November 15, 2000 - 9 J Staying in Touch by John O'Toole, MRP Over the past few months, there have been a number of traffic tragedies in our area. Sadly, alcohol is frequently involved in these senseless accidents. On November 10th, Nancy Codiin, the new president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), officially officially launched a Durham chapter. MADD, a non-profit, non-profit, grass roots organization that aims, to stop drunk driving driving and supports accident victims victims and their family members, members, was founded in 1980 and now has more that 600 chapters. chapters. Far too many people's lives are permanently altered by accidents that could have been prevented. If you would like to get involved, please contact me at my constituency office at (905) 697-1501 or 1- 800-661-2433 for more information. information. By the time you read, this, the municipal election will be over. I should tell you that I have received a number of calls and letters of complaint ' from some candidates as well as Clarington and Scugog residents residents regarding the mail-in ballot. The issue here is the procedure in handling the mail-in ballots. While I cannot cannot comment on municipal matters, I can tell you that I have sent your letters to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for response. It's my understanding that council made the decision to use this ne\V and more convenient voting voting method as municipal elections elections have traditionally had low turnouts ' due to poor weather conditions or difficulty difficulty in accessing polling stations. stations. For these reasons, as well as the reported administrative administrative savings, council decided decided to try this new Canada Post mail-in ballot method. I expect that we will hear morç about this after the election. There have been several calls to our community office about the Ministry of Labour's new legislative initiatives. Please call me if you would like more information on: • Workplace democracy, which deals with certification and de-certification issues, • Construction trade issues in Bill 69; or ■ The Employment Standards Act Recently, proposed changes to the Employment Standards Act have been in the news. The proposed changes are as follows: 1. The anti-reprisal and enforcement section would give the employment stan dards enforcement officers more authority to deal with non-compliance and would also protect employees from reprisal. 2. The issue of the number of work hours has received the most press. Many unionized and- non-unionized workplaces workplaces operate on a 24/7 basis. Not that I agree with this practice, practice, but it is a reality. This proposal will bring the ESA in compliance with today's marketplace marketplace and protect employees employees from reprisals. 3. Family Crisis Leave is intended to allow employees to have ip non-paid days of protected leave to deal with family emergencies. I agree with this section, given the pressures that many families are facing today. 4. Employment Insurance (El) Parental Benefits: The federal changes to El and parental leave will go into effect in 2001 The province is examining examining consistent entitlements for the parental leave protection. protection. 5. Vacation pay 6. Public holidays 7. Termination and severance pay 8. Overtime averaging and; 9. The repeal of the Industrial Standards Act, which applies to the women's garment sector. sector. Here, the. intention of the province is to merge the protections protections under the ESA to strengthen this sector. As you can see, there are. many important changes other than those that the press "picks up". You can visit the province's website at www.ontla.ola.org or call me for more information. information. 1 rely on your calls and letters. d: Daycare Wanted .aycare required before and after school for two boys ages 7 and 11, attending Orono Public Çchool. Non-smoking household a must, within walking distance to school., Call 983-1072 - Carole or Brian ORONO CHIROPRACTIC agd EXERCISE CENTRE Ernest Schroeder, B.Sc. D.C. Doctor of Chiropractic 5331 Main Street, Box 150. Orono LOB 1M0 Telephone (905) 983-5510 SUBSCRIBE TO THE ORONO WEEKLY TIMES $25.00 ORONO s^ijs MUSIC CENTRE 5551 MAIN STREET, ORONO olitV d ^ rl ces TEL: 905-985-6118 The Community With Future THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET BOWMANVTLLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 - The FINAL Instalment for the 2000 PROPERTY TAX NOTICE is due for the following classes: * Multi-Residential, Commercial, Industrial classes and - ■ ' sub-classes. INSTALMENT DUE: NOVEMBER 22, 2000 To avoid line-ups please choose one of the various payment options listed on the front of the tax bill that is convenient for you. , Failure to receive a Tax Notice does NOT eliminate the responsibility for the payment of taxes and penalty. Tax Department (905)623-3379 ■ - . t \!arkelin& 'it «iii-îi 1 «1 UWJ) i it is J m wÊÊBmz&s- (j /; „ i *ij. iveryirLsHMf ■