The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, August 21, 2015 | 14 ETFO honours its former general secretary -- Gene Lewis of Oakville Oakville's Gene Lewis, former general secretary of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO), was recognized with an honourary life member award. The recognition took place Aug. 19 in Toronto at ETFO's annual meeting. Honourary life memberships, the federation's highest form of recognition, are given to members who have retired from the education profession and who have given "outstanding service" to the federation. "Gene Lewis steered the administration of ETFO with a sure hand, and provided the dayto-day management that brought out the best skills and highest quality of work from staff," ETFO president Sam Hammond said in a media release. "I am honoured to be one of the four provincial presidents, who worked with Gene to build ETFO into the strong union it is today." Lewis' experience in education started off with walking to and from a one-room school house in rural Ontario and culminated at the ETFO provincial office in Toronto. His work in a factory prior to teaching brought him "personal meaning to the need for strong unions and a belief in solidarity as the key to ensuring that teachers and education professionals live with dignity in their working careers and retired years," according to the release. During the Oakville resident's staff tenure as ETFO's first general secretary, the nature and complexity of issues facing educators and the teachers' union grew, including growing centralization and politicization of education funding, policies and curriculum. Gene Lewis The ETFO has expanded its membership to include designated early childhood educators, gained advances for occasional teachers and built a new certified LEED Platinum office building in downtown Toronto. It now represents 76,000 elementary public school teachers and education professionals across the province and is the largest teacher federation in Canada. "Gene has credited ETFO's leadership at the provincial and local levels and their common desire to build a strong public education system for students and a strong union for members as a big factor in the federation's achievements," stated the release. MVL LEASING LIMITED 905-849-6995 1064 SOUTH SERVICE RD. E, OAKVILLE LEASE ANY YEAR, MAKE, OR MODEL Natural Approaches to Helping Digestive Disorders Free Informational Health Session Especially important for people suffering from Crohn's, Colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Acid Reflux, etc. 2016 Nissan GT-R $ www.MVL.ca 2015 Audi A4 allroad $ Featured Speaker: Dr. Sebastian Guarnaccia As a result of his commitment and dedication for the past 18 years, Dr Guarnaccia has enhanced the quality of 100's of individuals' lives and alleviated their chronic conditions naturally. Location Glen Abbey Community Centre 1415 Third Line (Third Line and Upper Middle) Date Tuesday, August 25, 2015. Time 8:00 PM 119,900 100 Kms +HST 54,900 4,975 Kms +HST 905-581-4203 · dontbuyahottub.ca Don't buya hot tub! LEASING, FINANCING, SALES, SERVICE, FLEET, DETAILING, STORAGE Seating is limited. Reserved seating is recommended. Please call 905-825-9529 · Everyone is welcome! S T Y L E , S E L E C T I O N , Q U A L I T Y, E X C E L L E N C E Torlys EvErWOOd SANdY rIdgE FLOOrINg Perfect for Basements Cottages & Chalets! best kepts ret inthe g c e ta $ 69 sq. ft. until you see our prices! v Hardwood v Laminate v Tile Tile vCork Cork Hardwood Laminate v Stone Stone 4 266 Speers Road, Oakville · 905.845.8562 www.speersflooring.com