MECHANICAL SERVICES AUTO AUTO AU TOPR PRO PR O OA OAKV OAKV KVIL ILLE E 2 2 Wyecroft Road, Oakv 221 kvill ille e autoprooakville.mechanicnet.com 905-469-2442 2 SNA NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR 2010 ontario's top newspaper - 2005-2008 Ford adds a shift Page 4 dentistoakville.com 905-842-6030 A member of Metroland Media Group Ltd. Vol. 50 No. 143 "Using Communication To Build Better Communities" FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2012 32 pages $1.00 (plus tax) Teachers and government play hardball By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF "We will provide parents with ample Local public elementary notice to ensure the school teachers are joining oth- safety of students." ers across Ontario saying they will give parents 72 hours' notice before striking -- but Education Minister Laurel Broten said the government will order them back to work. The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO), which represents 76,000 Ontario teachers and educational professionals, made its announcement Wednesday. ETFO Halton president Marg Macfarlane confirmed Thursday the scenario would be the same in Halton where the unit represents 2,600 teachers and educational professionals -- who earlier voted 95 per cent in favour of a strike mandate. The ETFO would not say which school boards will be affected or when. Four ETFO units are proceeding with workto-rule action. In December, all units, including Halton, will be in a legal strike position. Halton public elementary school teachers will be in a legal strike position the second week of December. The teachers' union said strikes by local ETFO units will Sam Hammond, president Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario affect operations in each Ontario public elementary school. "It is unfortunate we have been placed in the position of having to strike by Education Minister Laurel Broten, but we will provide parents with ample notice to ensure the safety of students," said ETFO president Sam Hammond in the release. However, also on Thursday, Broten, answered the EFTO's December strike threat and promised 72-hours notice for parents, saying the government would order elementary teachers back to work. Broten threatened to use tools in the government's controversial Bill 115 to get them back in the classroom. Educators are protesting Bill-115 (Putting Students First Act), which strips them of their bargaining rights, freezes wages and cuts into benefits. It also allows for removal of sections from locally bargained agreements. Ice time MICHAEL IVANIN / special to the BEAVER / @halton_photog ON P.A. Day: Steve Creaturo and Molly Poole skate in Glen Abbey as RBC and the Town of Oakville provided free community skates on the recent public school P.A. Day. At Glen Abbey Community Centre families had the chance to meet and greet women's hockey Olympian, and three-time gold medallist, Jennifer Botterill and enjoy free hot chocolate. At the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex, guests also received free hot chocolate and the first 250 people took home a poinsettia at no charge.