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

Will Halton freeze wages? By Tim Foran METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP 5 · Wednesday, April 21, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Halton residents will have to wait to find out whether the Region will follow the Province's lead and freeze wages and benefits for the municipality's employees. The Provincial budget recently imposed a two-year freeze on the salaries and benefits of all non-unionized employees in the Ontario public service, including school board, hospital and provincial government workers. That included extending the current salary freeze for MPPs from one year to three years. Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said the government would also seek to negotiate two-year agreements with no net compensation increase for unionized workers after their current agreements expire. The government exempted municipal employees from the freeze, but Duncan told the media after the budget was released March 26 that municipalities are "certainly welcome to follow our lead." Asked this week if regional council has since discussed in camera whether to seek a freeze on compensation during ongoing negotiations with unionized employees or to impose one on nonunionized staff, Halton Regional Chairman Gary Carr responded: "The staff are preparing a report on the provincial budget and then the Region will be able to respond. The report will go to administration and finance committee on the next cycle (May 5) then to council after that." In December, Halton regional council already voted for a freeze on its own salary for this year. However, imposing one on non-unionized staff or trying to negotiate one with unionized workers likely wouldn't come without a fight. That's because the municipality has already included money for wage hikes in its 2010 budget. The $1.1 billion budget includes enough money to cover an overall 2.5 per cent increase to the base salaries for the Region's approximately 1,250 non-unionized employees, who receive raises based on a pay-for-performance system, and about 500 unionized employees whose contracts come up for renegotiation in 2010, including paramedics, public health nurses and water and sewage plant workers. That increase is slightly less than the average three per cent a year given to regional employees in previous years. Compensation for Halton's approximately 2,470 regional employees and 820 police personnel accounts for $260 million of the Region's $700 million operating budget. No updates have been publicly filed to Halton council on 2010 negotiations with the Region's unionized workers. Contracts with the Region's 138 paramedics (OPSEU Local 207) and 167 public works employees (CUPE 2620) expired at the end of 2009 and a one-year contract with the Region's public health nurses (ONA) finished March 31 of this year. As of December, the Region was also headed to interest arbitration to get a settlement with ONA nurses at its three long-term care homes, who had been working without a contract since March 31, 2008. DIABETIC PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY (DPN) PAIN A Clinical Research Study of an Investigational Oral Medication for people with Hand, Foot, or Leg Pain caused by Diabetes - Related Nerve damage You may be eligible if you are at least 18 years of age and have: Been diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes Controlled blood sugar levels for at least 3 months Experienced signs or symptoms of painful DPN Moderate to severe pain in the hands, feet or legs that has not been relieved with over-the-counter or prescription pain relievers for at least 3 months Study medication, medical evaluations and ce visits will be provided to to qualified study participants at no cost. Study medication, medical evaluations and offioffice visits will be provided qualified study participants at no cost. It is is 5 month study with 14 14 office visits andfollow up phone call. It a a 5 month study with offi ce visits and 1 1 follow up hone call. NOW OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT 1-877-927-5469 For more information, please contact: HWY. #6 N W S E WATERDOWN Visit Our SHOWROOM · Quality Craftsmanship · Innovative Designs · Professional Service & Installation · 10 Year Warranty TH D R HWY. #5 HALLMARK KITCHENS 23 INNOVATION DRIVE (Clappisons Corners) WATERDOWN SOU 905-689-7877 www.hallmarkkitchens.ca .