C C N A BETTER N E W S P A P W i. CO M PETITION O a k v il l e B p Bulk Foods Now A vailab le U W V c X O a k v ille Y M C A a n d O a k v ille P a r k s & V o l.3 8 N o . 9 6 R e c r e a tio n P r o g r a m G u id e s food & d ru g Upper M iddle/8th Line A M efc ro la n d P u b l i c a t i o n LOOK FOR BOTH INSIDE TODAY'S PAPER! FRIDAY, AUGUST 11,2000 www.oakvillebeaver.com 48 Pages 75 Cents (Plus GST) High school teachers askedto cast strikevote By Dennis Smith SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER The union leader for Halton's public secondary school teachers is urging his members to vote for a strike in order to avoid a labour dispute. "I've asked members to give us a strong mandate," said union president Larry Chud. "A strike vote most often avoids a strike. I don't want a strike." The strike vote is being taken next Wednesday by members of Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation District 20 (Halton). "It's a normal part of the process to take a strike vote and work towards an Agreement," said Chud. The mandate would put the union's 1,100 members in a legal strike position after their contract expires Aug. 31. But Chud is hoping a deal can be made before then with the Halton District School Board. The two sides are slated to meet Aug. 24. "We're booked off through the day and we're hoping for a good day," he said. The union said some significant issues haven't been discussed yet and provincial government actions have made baigaining much more difficult. "But we're going to the table with the Halton District School Board instead of the province," said Chud. "Our vote will be about the local negotiations, not the Province's actions." Provincial requirements could have some influence, however. Under Bill 74 extracurriculars (after school academic help, coaching and supervision of other activities) for teach ers can be made mandatory at the educa tion minister's discretion. Northern developm en t study p a sse d By Scott MacArthur SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER After four lengthy, and often contentious, public meetings two on consecutive evenings this week - Town Council finally passed its Strategic Land Use Options Study for development north of Dundas Street. Given the tight timeframe - Council decided not to run past the customary 11:30 p.m. deadline on Wednesday - passage of the revamped report almost didn't happen. After all, given the complexity of the issues involved and the full debate among councillors which had yet to take place, it looked as though another night lay in store. After Ward 5 councillor Liz Behrens made a motion which included amendments to the study, Ward 3 councillor Keith Bird called the question - meaning it was time to vote without discus sion. A three-quarter majority was required to make such a move and Council responded eight-to-three in favour. Then the study was passed. This procedural action was so unprecedented and the matter so complicated that Cogeco Cable will re-broadcast the meeting in two parts, August 15th and 16th at 7:30 p.m. - essential for helping the public understand the issues, said mayor Ann Mulvale. The motion is a lot to digest: - Council adopted the study as a "base document" for policy formulation and future land use planning studies for land north of Dundas. - Town staff will prepare an Official Plan amendment which implements the study's findings. - Council re-affirms support for last year's North Oakville Natural Heritage Inventory and Analysis, including the re-affirmation of the principle of a natural heritage system "to be detailed and refined through the secondary plan process." (See `Council'page 17) today' s paper CLOSE ENCOUNTER: Photo by Barrie Erskine It may look like one of the kids is touching Phantom an Albino Burmese Python, part of Safari Jeff's show at Oakville Place last week - but this is actually a bit of clever photography. Safari Jeff brought his menagerie of exotic animals to the mall on Tuesday and Wednesday, much to the delight of hundreds of children who learned about animals threatened by extinction. Safari Jeff and Shannon are the new edu cation directors of Jungle Cat World in Orono, Ont. 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