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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 www.dentistoakville.com 905-842-6030 www.carstaroakville.com 905.639.7001 Dog walker to the rescue Page 3 905-8457579 905-847 -2595 2212 Wyecroft Rd. 547 Trafalgar Rd. A member of Metroland Media Group Ltd. Vol. 53 No. 3 "USING COMMUNICATION TO BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES" THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009 24 Pages $1.00 (plus GST) New Catholic schools on hold School closings also delayed By Tim Foran OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF New YMCA CEO grew into position By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF A number of new school openings and old school closures included in Halton's Catholic school board's capital plans are on the backburner. Board staff has confirmed there will be delays to constructing the new elementary schools in northwest and northeast Oakville and west Milton that were originally projected to open by the next school year. The opening of a new replacement school for Holy Cross in Georgetown and a new high school in Milton, both projected to open in 2011/12, have also been pushed back. The Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) submitted all five projects to the Province's Ministry of Education for "Growth Schools" funding in 2008. However, the Province has exhausted that funding envelope and hasn't announced if it will be putting more money back in, said Stacey Zucker of the HCDSB's financial services division. The board had earlier received such Growth Schools funding from the Province to help pay for three schools which recently opened -- Our Lady of Fatima and the new St. Peter elementary schools in Milton and Corpus Christi Secondary School in Burlington. It is also using such funding to help pay for two Oakville high school projects under construction -- the 210-pupil place addition to St. Ignatius Loyola and a replacement school for St. Thomas Aquinas are both scheduled to open for students in September, 2011. "(The board) already has a number of projects in the pipeline," Patricia MacNeil, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, said in explanation for why the HCDSB's future projects were rejected. She said the board, which has growing enrollment, also has access to capital funding not available to others NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER HAVING A BALL: Darryl McKenzie was recently named the new CEO and president of the YMCA of Oakville. McKenzie was the interim CEO at the facility before being asked to stay on permanently. He said he is thrilled with the appointment and that he looks forward to continue forging healthy relationships between the YMCA and the community. He's been involved with the YMCA since he was a young summer camper and now he's the chief executive officer and president of the facility in Oakville. Darryl McKenzie officially started the position in December, although he's already become a familiar face around town as interim CEO and president since September. "This is a great YMCA and there are great opportunities for it, and to be part of that is something I am very excited about," said the 30-something. McKenzie wasn't the only one interested in the job. The board of directors received 160 applications, but in the end, decided McKenzie was the clear winner with his strong YMCA background and outstanding job performance in the position over the past few months. McKenzie said one of his top priorities in the position is raising awareness of the integral role the YMCA plays in the community. "There's more to us than just a pool and a gym," he said. "There's so much happening at this YMCA, both in this building and out in the community. This is only one of 39 sites we serve across the community where we are delivering programs. For example, we're the number one provider of non-profit child care in Oakville." See No page 9 See New page 5