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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday March 26, 2008 - 3 Need Help Choosing Natural Stone? See our design team! Looking for something different? You'll find it here. We specialize in importing and supplying quality ceramics, porcelain, and natural stone with a variety of exclusive lines. Check Out Our BACKSPLASH SHOWROOM & EXTENSIVE NATURAL STONE DISPLAY TRAVERTINES GLASS MOSAICS SLATE GRANITE MARBLE PORCELAIN NATURAL STONE TRAVERTINES GLASS MOSAICS SLATE GRANITE MARBLE PORCELAIN NATURAL STONE TRAVERTINES GLASS MOSAICS SLATE GRANITE MARBLE PORCELAIN NATURAL STONE TRAVERTINES GLASS MOSAICS SLATE GRANITE MARBLE PORCELAIN NATURAL STONE TRAVERTINES GLASS MOSAICS SLATE GRANITE MARBLE PORCELAIN NATURAL STONE Factory Tile Depot MICHAEL IVANIN / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER ON BEING CANADIAN: A Halton Multicultural Council (HMC) Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) class performs a song during the official opening of HMC's second Oakville office in north Oakville. It is at 380 Dundas St. E. in the Longo's plaza. HMC opens second Oakville office in north By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Tile selection made enjoyable! Together we are Canadian. The message -- recited by a dozen Chinese Language for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) students -- came through loud and clear at the opening of the Halton Multicultural Council's (HMC) second Oakville office Thursday. "North Oakville is a needy area that doesn't have a lot of services," said HMC executive director Joanna Matthews, explaining HMC assists the approximate 1,800 new Canadians who settle in Halton annually. Just ahead of celebrating Easter, Purim, the Persian New Year, the International Day to Eliminate Racial Discrimination and the first day of spring, the HMC celebrated the opening of its new office in Oakville March 20. It is located in the Longo's plaza at 380 Dundas St. E. It operates Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m.8:30 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The HMC's other Oakville office is at 635 Fourth Line, Units 48, 28 and 15. Opening its doors thanks to funds that include money from the federal government, Oakville's second HMC location launch attracted a host of officials. "Our services are only as strong as the relations we build with the cultures within our community," said Matthews. Trivi Mehendale, president of HMC's volunteer board noted the second Oakville office means the HMC now has four Halton offices, and a staff of 52, which grew from its original two. Ward 1 Councillor Ralph Robinson, representing the Town of Oakville, said he recalled HMC's opening 29 years ago as the Oakville Multicultural Council in what is now a Laundromat on Lakeshore Road. Robinson said the Town is proud of the variety of events staged each year by the HMC. "Halton was built on people coming from all over the world," said Halton Region chair Gary Carr. Oakville MP Bonnie Brown said the very existence of the multicultural council is a tribute to the vision of former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau who, she said, brought multiculturalism to become an essential facet of what it means to be Canadian. Brown noted Trudeau, himself a world traveller, envisioned the richness of culture that multiculturalism could offer to make Canada "the richest country in the world from the point of view of its people." While Halton has recently been touted as one of the safest communities in Canada, Halton Regional Police Chief Gary Crowell said, "It doesn't just happen. The community works together to make sure it's a safe, healthy and happy community." Police and the HMC have not only worked together, but become "fond friends" over the years, according to Crowell. Halton District School Board Education Director Wayne Joudrie was on hand and noted Halton is "a community where people get it, that by co-operating and working together you can get so much done." Joudrie touted the settlement workers who help kids adjust to life in a new country. With the ink still drying on a new transitional housing program for newcomers to Halton and the HMC home to Susan Crawford's research and development in the area of transracial adoption (thanks to a $150,000, three-year Ontario Trillium Foundation grant), not to mention the second Oakville HMC location, Matthews said none of it happens without the funders. Those funders were invited to cut the ribbon at the opening. The HMC's mission is to support, encourage, respect, and welcome unity in diversity. The official occasion was also used to raise the United Nations flag to recognize the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The day is marked after a 1960 massacre in Sharpsville, South Africa in which 180 people were injured and 69 people were shot dead by police, including 10 women and children, during a peaceful demonstration. "The Halton Multicultural Council plays an important role in helping newcomers successfully integrate into our community," said Brown, adding, "As our community has grown, the need for their services has grown and the opening of the north Oakville office will increase accessibility to their invaluable programs." Founded in 1979, the HMC assists the settlement and integration of newcomers by providing free services including settlement services, language training, housing, employment, interpretation/translation, anti-discrimination youth training and organizational diversity training. The HMC has a staff of more than 50 professionals and provides services in 26 languages. In Burlington, it operates at The Bay Area Learning Centre and at Warwick Surrey Community Centre, and recently opened a Milton office. FACTORY TILE DEPOT 1360 Speers Road, Oakville (East of third line) 905.465.1650 Mon.-Thurs., 9:30-6, Fri. 9:30-5, Sat., 10-5, Closed Sun. www.factorytiledepot.ca Since 1968 Auto and Home Insurance We find the right price, coverage and service for you. We deliver outstanding personal service: · When you call our office we ask for your name, not your account number. · You speak to the same person every time you call so we know who you are. · Proudly serving Oakville for 40 years. Please call us today for a Home & Auto Quote www.dobson-toncic.com 101-2020 Winston Park Drive, Oakville ON, L6H 6X7 905-829-2907 TRAVERTINES GLASS MOSAICS SLATE GRANITE MARBLE PORCELAIN NATURAL STONE