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17| O akville B eaver | T hursday,A ugust 30,2018 insidehalton.com The minister of science and sport paid Oakville and Burlington a visit stop- ping at local clubs and speaking to coaches and athletes about the value of sports to a community. Kirsty Duncan's first stop was at the Burlington Gymnastics Club, where she was joined by Oakville North-Burlington MP Pam Damoff and Burlington MP Karina Gould. "Not only is sport sup- porting their (athletes') strong physical and mental health, but it is bringing this community together and helping to build friend- ships that will last a life- time," said Duncan. The Burlington Gym- nastics Club, the sixth larg- est of its kind in Ontario with approximately 3,500 athletes, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and 30 years of hosting the annual Spring Cup, the largest women's invitation gymnastics competition in Canada for both rhythmic and artistic gymnastics. Duncan then headed to the Oakville Soccer Club, where she learned of a new referee mentorship pro- gram being developed to support aspiring officials and provide constructive feedback.feedback.f According to the club's website, the average refer- ee retention rate across Ontario is approximately 45 per cent, but in Oakville, it's closer to 90 per cent thanks to the implementa- tion of the program. Matthew Aslett - a 20- year-old Queen's Universi- ty student who is working for a third summer at thefor a third summer at thef Oakville Soccer Club, and who helped implement the program with 21-year-old Nicholas Bruno - said about 70 per cent of the ref- erees were male when he started. "And today it's an even 50/50 split," said Aslett. "Now, many of our female mentors have gone on to train others and it's be- come a really enjoyable learning classroom for them, both on and off the field."field."f The Oakville Soccer Club has also developed a Breaking Barriers Pro- gram, designed for partici- pants between "under five" and "under 15" age groups (2004-2014 birth years) with intellectual and/or physi- cal disabilities. The program, facilitat- ed by certified staff and volunteers at the club, in- troduces participants to soccer and the fundamen- tals of physical literacy. As the minister of sport, Duncan said she has estab- lished a working group on gender equity in sport and ensured federally-funded sport organizations must have anti-discrimination, harassment, and abuse policies in place to be eligi- ble for funding. Both the Burlington Gymnastics Club and Oak- ville Soccer Club have in- grained policies on inclu- sion and accessibility for everyone in their organiza- tions, from coaches, train- ers and staff, to volunteers, athletes and visitors, stat- ed a media release. Duncan, Damoff and Gould also met with stu- dents employed at both sports club through the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program this year. "I am pleased to wel- come Minister Duncan to my riding of Oakville North-Burlington and have the opportunity to showcase some of the top athletes and sporting or- ganizations in our com- munity, as well as the val- ue of the CSJ program to sporting clubs," said Da- moff. "Both the Burlington Gymnastics Club and the Oakville Soccer Club are recognized as elite training facilities for some of Cana-facilities for some of Cana-f da's top athletes and the students employed here by the CSJ program are not only gaining valuable work experience and a salary, but also learning the value of sports to the local com- munity," she continued. "In fact, Oakville and Burlington are home to several Olympians who re- ceived their early training right here." NEWS FEDERAL SPORT MINISTER PAYS BURLINGTON, OAKVILLE CLUBS A VISIT JOHN BKILA jbkila@metroland.com Federal Minister of Science and Sport Kirsty Duncan dropped into the Oakville Soccer Club to learn more about a new referee mentorship program that being developed at the centre. (L-R) Christian Lopac ( referee mentorship team leader), Nicholas Bruno ( Developer of the new referee mentorship program), MP Pam Damoff, Federal Science and Sport Minister Kirsty Duncan, Matthew Aslett ( Developer of the new referee mentorship program),Mikaela Lowe ( referee mentorship team leader) and Katya Lopac ( referee mentorship team leader). Graham Paine/Metroland NOTICE OF CONSTRUCTION 2018 Road Resurfacing Program atVarious Locations in the Region of Halton and Replacement of a Concrete Box Culvert on Regional Road 25, 330m south of 15 Side Road Contract Number: R-2733J-18 Scheduled Start Date: Summer 2018 Scheduled Completion Date: Fall 2018 Contractor: GrahamBros. Project Manager: Phil Antoniow 905-825-6000, ext. 3227 phil.antoniow@halton.ca 08 30 18 Meetings at Halton Region, 1151 Bronte Rd., Oakville, L6M 3L1 Visit halton.ca for full schedule.for full schedule.f Helpful resources for parents and students Starting a new school year can be an exciting time and a big transition for some students. Halton Region offers a variety of online resources to help ease the transition for parents, children and teens. Visit halton.ca to access our Ready, Set, Go! and Ready, Set, Whoa! resources, which provide school success tips, important dates during the school year and information about local community supports for your child or teen. Parents and caregivers can also get support they need by connecting with a public health professional by visiting halton.ca, emailing haltonparents@halton.ca, engaging with @HaltonParents on social media or calling 311. Municipality Location City of Burlington Appleby Line - ETR 407 Limit to 190m South ofCity of Burlington Appleby Line - ETR 407 Limit to 190m South of Britannia Road City of Burlington Guelph Line - Britannia Road to 500m South of 8 SideCity of Burlington Guelph Line - Britannia Road to 500m South of 8 Side Road Town of Halton Hills Regional Road 25 - 600 m South of 10 Side Road to 17Town of Halton Hills Regional Road 25 - 600 m South of 10 Side Road to 17 Side Road Town of Milton Guelph Line - McLaren Road to CP Railway CrossingTown of Milton Guelph Line - McLaren Road to CP Railway Crossing Town of Milton Guelph Line - 1.2 km North of 10 Side RoadTown of Milton Guelph Line - 1.2 km North of 10 Side Road Town of Oakville Neyagawa Boulevard - 200 m North of BurnhamthorpeTown of Oakville Neyagawa Boulevard - 200 m North of Burnhamthorpe Road to North Limit Town of Oakville Upper Middle Road - Neyagawa Boulevard to Sixth LineTown of Oakville Upper Middle Road - Neyagawa Boulevard to Sixth Line Visit halton.ca to learn more about these construction improvements.