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Beaver THE OAKVILLE Voted Ontario's Top Newspaper Four Years in a Row - 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 www.brantflorist.com/ob 905.639.7001 Kazdan, Solomon & D'Angelo www.dentistoakville.com 905-842-6030 905.257.9941 905.257.9941 - 380 Dundas Street East corner of Trafalgar and Dundas 905.257.9941 - 380 Dundas Street East corner of Trafalgar and Dundas Beaver Trails around the world TRAVEL Now Open! Now Open! A member of Metroland Media Group Ltd. Vol. 52 No. 80 "USING COMMUNICATION TO BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES" THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2009 24 Pages $1.00 (plus GST) Support for EA shift not universal Critics worry about needs of high school special kids By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Young flag waver Developers may pay more to build in Oakville By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Halton District School Board trustees placed their stamp of approval on the special education plan at a board meeting held Tuesday, June 23. The Special Education Advisory Committee unanimously approved the plan earlier in June before it went to trustees, but there are still parents and community members who have concerns. One concern is the transfer of educational assistants from secondary schools to elementary schools across Halton. The number of educational assistants has remained static at 590 for the past three school years, but there has been an increase in elementary educational assistants and a corresponding decrease in secondary educational assistants. There were 392.5 educational assistants working in elementary schools and 197.5 working in secondary schools in the 2008-09 school year. The numbers are expected to continue to shift for the 2009-10 school year, at 421 and 169 respectively. "We've had a lot of need, especially in the north," Suzanne Moffatt, interim superintendent of student services, told The Oakville Beaver. "With those changing demographics, we've had an increase (in need in elementary schools)." Director of Education Wayne Joudrie agreed that growth is a factor for the shift, as well as the ability NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER See Board page 3 SHY CANADIAN: Two-year-old Sohail Assil plays peek-a-boo with the flag during the Canadian Multiculturalism Day Picnic hosted by the Halton Multicultural Council at Bronte Creek Provincial Park last Friday. The Town of Oakville may soon be calling on developers to pay the highest development charges allowed under the law. Town staff recently unveiled a new Development Charge Study, which illustrates the need to significantly increase the amount of money the municipality extracts from developers to cover the growth-related costs of infrastructure, facilities, land, vehicles and equipment. The study, which has yet to be approved by council, calls for residential development charges south of Dundas Street to rise 57 per cent, with a new single residential unit moving from $14,102 to $22,246. Residential development charges north of Dundas Street would go up 65 per cent. The study also has non-residential development charges going up by 34 per cent, from $67.59 per square metre to $90.62. Town staff point to the extensive development in Oakville's not-toodistant future as the reason for the See Mayor page 8 Squeeze More Out of Life Call today to arrange for a personal tour of Oakville's Premier Retirement Residence ­ (905) 469-3232