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Re volume | 134 Number 12 Se cana aie 2 arg TV ET TT Ta Seg ar ga ee © 2 gos 's 'Newspaper of Choy, = TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2000 Nurses endorse contract with OHA By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star Nurses employed at Lakeridge Health Corp. hospitals here have voted more than 90 per cent in favour of a new contract. The nurses, represented by the Ontario Nursing Association (ONA), have endorsed a deal that includes significant wage gains. Registered Nurses and allied health pro- fessionals represented by the ONA are once more the highest-paid in the country thanks to the deal. : ad ONA represents 38,000 nurses across the province, and 1,100 within the Lakeridge Health system in Durham Region. Locally, almost 100 ONA nurses work in the Port Perry and Uxbridge hospi- tals. Nurses here, whose last contract expired in 1998, were pleased with the package, said Bev Brown, a former ONA local official and a nurse in Port Perry. "We ratified it with 93 per cent in favour," she said Friday, as results across the province were being released. The most significant gain for nurses came in the form of wage increases. The breakthrough in this contract is a huge win for nurses, many of whom have seen wages frozen since the introduction of the former NDP government's social contract mea- sures eight years ago. The deal between the ONA and the Ontario Hospital Association calls for increases of up to 31 per cent for specific groups, whose wages have been capped or frozen for up to four years because of provincial legislation and collective agree- ment limitations. For other nurses, the agreement pro- vides increases of at least 6.7 per cent over its three-year term. The contract expires in March of 2001. The wage concessions eliminate other Please Turn to page 16 COPY 75¢ 110¢ + 5c asm) Saas | 28 Pages CHRIS HALL / PORT PERRY STAR HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Bessie Lamsom will celebrate her 101st birthday today with family néar Seagrave, but the real fun will be tomorrow night when She travels to Toronto to see the Leafs take on the Philadelphia Flyers, courtesy of club president Ken Dryden. Mrs. Lamson worked at Maple Leaf Gardens when it opened in 1931. See our story on page 4. Teacher shortage foreseen By Rik Davie Special to the Star Durham District School Board officials say they are preparing for a shortage of secondary school teachers by launching a recruiting effort that may reach as far as the United Kingdom. Craig Burch, superintendent for employee relations, made the prediction while answering to a recent media story that said Durham was ranked 30th out of 31 boards as the best places to teach in Ontario. The document, Where to teach in Ontario, is produced by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation to rank the best employment opportunities for teachers. The document listed the top salary for a secondary school teacher in Durham, at around $64,500 after 11 years service, as being very low by comparison to the rest of the province. Shelly Paige, President of OSSTF District 13 in Durham, said she is receiv- ing calls from members "every day," ask- ing about resignations and opportunities in other boards. Please Turn to page 18 Ice rental rates hiked next year By John B. McClelland Port Perry Star Ice rental rates at the Scugog Arena ~ will be going up next season for all user groups in an effort to reduce the rink's operating deficit. User groups were warned at a meeting Feb. 2 with the parks and recreation committee to get ready for an increase, 'which will likely be 15 per cent, or about $12.50 per hour for ice time. Parks and rec chair Ken Carruthers said after the meeting the committee has no choice but to raise the rental rates, as Please Turn to page 17