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SCHOOL SUCCESS www.chisholmcentre.com (905) 844-3240 Chisholm $> BMW Z4 a charmer for all seasons Best wheels Aquinas senior girls end Georgetown's rule S ports M e rce de s Benz Q.E.W. *, Dorval Dr. www.oakvillebeaver.com N O R T H THE! UAKVILLE BE A M E R I C A 'S M O S T A W A R D E D C O M M U N I T Y P A P E R Old issues front and centre at OPA 198 OMB pre-hearing By Howard Mozel OAKV1LLF. B E A V E R S T A F F Minister offers promises, not money to Ford By Melanie Cummings S P E C IA L T O I t « · ; BEA V ER Even after years of controversy and heated debate over the Town's Official Plan Amendment (OPA) 198, all sides in the dispute are still arguing about exactly What issues will or will not be heard by the Ontario Municipal Board (OM B). On Monday at Town Hall, during the ongoing O M B pre-hearing to clarify the issues list to be considered at the full hearing set to begin May 26, legal coun sel representing Halton Region, the Town of Oakville. land-owners and sev eral developers sought to punch holes in issues placed before the board by Oakvillegreen Conservation Asso ciation and the Clear the A ir Coalition. O M B chair J.L . O'Brien, who at times showed his exasperation with the protracted nature of the hearing, urged all parties to keep their evidence onpoint. " If we're going to make the May date, we better get on with it," he said. Oakvillegreen questions whether OPA 198 is bad planning, in part because members maintain' it fails to take into account the opportunities for redeveJop/nent. intensification and revi talization in existing urban areas south of Dundas Street. Oakvillegreen argues the town need not expand its current urban development base in the north because opportunities exist south of Dundas Street to rezone existing employment/retail land for higher den sity mixed use development. Motions filed by Halton Region and others contend that the issues of intensi fication and revitalization have already been incorporated in the June 1999 Regional Plan Amendment 8 (ROPA 8). OPA 198 involves future residential and employment uses for 7.WX) acres of land north of Dundas Street. Front and centre for the bulk of Monday's session was Town of Oakville counsel Julia Ryan, who con sumed much of the day discounting Clear the Air's contention that the 1 978 O M B decision controlling growth north of the Q EW has not been superseded by ROPA 8. (See 'Environmental' page A4) A new automotive strategy for Ontario is about to be unveiled, accord ing to Jim Flaherty. Minister of Enterprise. Opportunity and Innovation. While short on specifics Flaherty told members of Oakville's Chamber of Commerce Monday night that "very shortly" details on new skills training initiatives, research and development enhancements and infrastructure will be made public. The announcement will not include the $200 million financial aid package Ford is seeking to revamp its Oakville pickup truck assembly plant slated for closure next year, Flaherty confirmed. The automotive manufacturer is looking to federal and provincial coffers for a portion of the $ 1 billion conversion of the truck plant, into a flexible parts manufacturing operation, supplier park and pre-delivery assembly outfit. During bargaining with the Canadian Auto Workers union last fall. F ok I revealed it wants to build a flexible (See 'Minister' page A2) I | Secondary teachers' job action draws wrath of trustee By Tim Whitnell SP EC IA L TO T H E BE/W EH Oakville public school trustee Drew Currah lashed out at the secondary teach ers union's negotiating team during last weeks school board meeting. "I have not met one teacher in my time who was greedy. I have to assume the union leaders arc greedy, said Currah while discussing his feelings about the stalled contract talks and the institution of a work-to-rule campaign, "These (confrontations) should be through the ballot box not at the expense of students," said the Ward 1 & 2 school trustee. Currah called the job action " unethi cal" and "cynical." He concluded by say ing "I'm disgusted." No other trustee made public com ments at the meeting about negotiations or the imminent job action. The low-level job action has shown no signs of escalating, although no new negotiation sessions have been scheduled. (See 'Teachers' page A2) Barrie Erskine · O akville Beaver look on their faces says it all as Holy Trinity suffered a 54-44 defeat at the hands of Pearson from Burlington in last Frid a y's midget boys basketball championship. Still, a great year for the firstyear O akville team that went into the championship undefeated in league play. Check sports for complete coverage of the boys midget and ju n io r final as well as M onday's senior girls volleyball championship. THE AGONY OF DEFEAT! The Editorials.............. A6 Comm unity Update A8 March Break........... B1 ArtScene............... B4 Focus................... Cl Classifieds..............C5 Auto..................... C8 Sports...................D 1 Business...............D4 Partial Delivery : Construction trades program seeks female apprentices By Paula Henriques ( )A K V 1 LLE B R A V E R S 1 A F F Century 21 -Cheryl Kuphi, Guanlian Drugs, Hy < SZeis, Ho-Lee-Chrw Restaurant. Little Caesars 1`izzt, Staney Ctvek Furniture, The Bax, Etltan Allen C « n a d « n P u t f ic a t io r aU iu l P r o o u c tA < jr * « r * w (0 5 2 0 1 RAMADA® INN & C O N V EN T IO N C EN T R E O A K V I L L E Come See The Difference 905-845*7561 r T n rv iiA Women who have always wanted to work in the construc tion trades will now have their chance. The Centre for Skills Development & Training in partner ship with Mattamy Homes Limited is launching a new career training opportunity for women: The New Home Service Technician Program. This new program, which represents the most recent in a series of collaborative partnerships formed by The Centre with both government and industry, will provide 20 women between the ages of 1 6 and 30 with the opportunity to train for rewarding service careers in the construction industry. "It's an awesome opportunity for any woman wanting to be involved in the construction trades." said Jill Ritchie, pro gram instructor. Ritchie, who has been in the residential construction indus try for 18 years, is a licensed carpenter and a former con struction instructor at Canadore College in North Bay said the 46-week program will bring the world of construction into focus as a career choice for women who otherwise wouldn't think so. (See 'Instructor' page A3) Peter C. McCusker · O akville B eaver Jill Ritchie looks forward to her new post as the instructor of The New Home Service Technician Program , which is aimed at introducing women into the construction industry. STUDIO D a n c e it. / le t it. T>m h i MARCH BREAK PROGRAMS 2 0 0 3 Mar. 10th - Mar. 21 st SPACE IS LIMTED 1 N V E S T M E N T S it. 7 > a in t i t . CALL US T O REGISTER TO D A Y 905-403-9435 2351 Royal W indsor Drive, U nil 1, Mississauga www.studiopavas.com studiopavas@sympatico.ca RETIREMENT PLANNING SPECIALISTS Free C o n s u lt a t io n T ila ^ it " Leaw f / / * 8 4 2 -2 1 0 0 P eter C W atson M .RA., G R R ,