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cornes to aid of robbed farm worker to donate to Christmas Bureau Fund -Sepae1 ~anabTan qiainpim A Metroland Community Newspaper Vol. 143 No. 81 Thursday, December 26, 2002 48 Pages Protect Vour Investment AMdMM&B5.11 -a LuraMo speciaiizing inresidentiai and rural properties Auto Business 205 Main St. E. 1878-717 1 -80041350 $1 .00 (GST imcluded) ,,Hospital layoffs unlikely as HHS finds alternatives; many retire, I vacancies By FANNIE SUNSHINE The Champion Although stili several months away from making it official, early signs mndi- cate layoff notices won't be issued to Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) employees, said HHS president and CEO John Oliver. "I don't believe we will have any layoffs,' he told The Champion. "So far people have accepted early retrement or have taken on other positions that were vacant. So at tis point I can say any layoffs would be highly unlikely." In October, 1-111 announced it would be laymng off the equivalent of 85 ful-time positions by the end of March. Layoff notices were issucd to staff at Milton District and Oakville-Trafalgar Memoriai hospi- taIs. The employees were given a number of options, including early retirement packages and fillmng job vacancies. Mr. Oliver blamed the possibility of any layoffs on an $8.6 mllion shortfall in tis years budget. To minimize the number of layoffs, HIHS con- sidered a combination of early retirement packages and voluntary exit incentives and moved employ- ees whose positions had become surplus to exist- rng vacant positions. The announcement came following a 10 per cent reduction of management and administrative staff in August and the completion of an intense review of aIl hospital operations. HHS spokesperson Trish Carleton said the cut- backs won't jeopardize the $75 million expansion plan for Milton Dittrict Hospital announced in May. "The layoffs will notjeopardize the expansion project because the layoffs are inmediate and the expansion project is still a number of years away." Comment......6-7 Classified..24-26 Business......Bi Datolns ...... BS 1 I "Christmas wish list EI.mentary studonts from the Ernest C. Drury School for the Deaf roc.ntly made their annuel viait ta Milton Malilta ses Santa Claus, who knows sign Ian- guago. Hors, Jordan Dupuls, 9, tolas Santa hle wlsh last. Sos mors photos on page B10. Photo by GRAHAM PAINE 'F i 1 AèL-