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

A4 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER W ednesday M ay 10, 2000 TT Fishing for the Best at OCS 'O M in is t e r c r it ic a l o f h e a v y -h a n d e d w e lfa r e r e fo r m By Irene Gentle SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER A provincial policy to permanently banish welfare cheats from receiving social assistance is illogical and unnec essary, Halton's social services commit tee heard last week. . Reverend Peter Hoyle, of the United Church of Canada, appeared before the committee to ask that they not support the policy, known as the zero tolerance legislation. He spoke on behalf of the Social Justice Coalition. In a blistering condemnation, Hoyle characterized the legislation as "irra tional, illogical and ill-advised." Since coming into effect April 1st, the policy continues to punish welfare cheats through the court system. But it also tacks on a lifetime ban on receiving assistance benefits. And that's too extreme, said Hoyle. "I want to offer you the opportunity to take the moral high ground," he told committee members. Only instead of rejecting the legisla tion, committee voted to endorse a staff recommendation to keep dialogue with the province open. And that's the way to enact change, said Halton chair Joyce Savoline. "They're not going to take this away. Zero tolerance is here, it's going to stay," she said. "It's what we can make of it. We really need to understand the legisla tion. I think it's important for us to approach the government and talk about that." Hoyle said the provincial policy is both heavy-handed and unnecessary. He contended there aren't enough cases of welfare fraud to justify the legislation, and the ones that exist are appropriately dealt with through the. courts. He accused the legislation of pander ing to misguided notions about poverty, such as ascribing moral and character failures to the poor. "This plays to the prejudice and big otry of the populace, sadly," said Hoyle. "It serves no social purpose and will only create social problems. Those prob lems will create greater suffering." Children will pay the biggest price if a parent is cut off from social assistance, he added. That made sense to Oakville Mayor Ann Mulvale. `There is the difficulty of divorcing the needs of the children from the con duct of the parents," she said. The committee passed the staff rec ommendation urging dialogue with the Regional CAOs and chairs as well as the province, rather than issuing a blanket condemnation of the legislation. W a lk -a -t h o n 2 0 0 0 S a tu rd a y , M a y 1 3 th 8:00- 8:30 a m Registration 8:30a m ;citing "send-off" programme W hen Was the Last Time You Saw Mom Having This Much Fun? M o th e r 's D a y S p ecial 5 h o u rs o f d a n ce fo r $20 N ew adult students on ly Limited to 1st 35 callers 9:00 a.m Ribbon cutting by Mayor Ann Mulvale Followed by a 10 km walk and BBQ. Please join us for a "fun" day. O ur goal is $75,000. Oakville Christian School is located at Lakeshore &Third Line T . * *-~ .... w ith God a ll th in gs a re possible." Mark 1027b O pen H ouse S at. M ay 13, 2000 Give Mom the gift that she'll enjoy all yeardance lessons from the dance professionals at Fred Astaire Dance Studios. She'll love you even more than she does already!! 225 L akeshore R oad East, 2nd Floor · D ow ntow n Oakville CRIME STOPPERS Call 825-TIPS or 1-800-668-5151 DANCE STUDIOS. 1 block west o f Trafalgar Rd. 842-3797 A ppleby C ollege is a co-educational day and b o a rd in g school for stu d e n ts in G rade 7 th ro u g h OAC. The 59*acre cam pus is located on the shores of Lake O ntario in O akville. A p p leb y 's in novative www.trwtestalrt.CM i (Entrance from b o th Lakeshore Road and parking lot o ff C h u rc h Street) `Distraction' thefts on the increase Halton Regional Police in Oakville are investigating m ore distraction thefts. Distraction thefts by organized groups are continuing to occur in the Golden Horseshoe area. Since the end of January, 2000, there have been over 23 purse thefts in Oakville alone. Toronto, Durham, York and Peel have had many similar thefts. Organized groups target elderly females who are shopping alone. The victims are targeted in clothing and produce aisles of large stores. The unsuspecting victims carry wallets in shoulder bags or their carts and usually there is a large amount of cash in their wallets. The thieves bump, question or spill an item on or near the victim, then another thief takes the wallet from the bag. If you think you can identify the people committing these crimes, call Crime Stoppers of Halton. If you have any information that leads to an arrest in this or any other matter, you may be eligible for a cash reward. You need not give your name when you tell us your information and you will remain anonymous. Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to the tele phone call display feature. PLEASE CALL 1-800-222-TIPS OR 825-TIPS (825-8477) September 2000 Registration Open House Sat., May 13 10 a.m.-2 p.m. W est W in d M ontessori School Founded 1999 Oakville's Newest M ontessori School e.school@ appleby program m e e q u ip s every stu d e n t w ith an IBM T h in k P a d com puter. For more information, please contact the Admissions Office at: 540 Lakeshore Road West, Oakville, Ontario L6K 3P1 Tel: (905) 845-4681 ext. 252 Fax: (905) 845-9505 E-mail: enrol@appleby.on.ca oat icf tcmcrc] / l Ippleby.on.ca Now accepting registration for September 2000 for Oakville's only Montessori Jr. High School (grades 7&8) (limited space for grades 4, 5, 6) W e s t W in d M o n te s s o r i S c h o o l 451 Lakeshore Rd. West Oakville, Ontario L6K 1G4 (905) 849-9463 Fax: (905) 849-9051 www.westwindms.com Grades 4-8 O p e n H o u se fo r a d m is s io n in S e p te m b e r 2001 w ill b e h e ld o n S a tu rd a y , M ay 13, 2000 fro m 10 a.m . to 2 p.m . L im ite d b o a r d in g sp a c e s a v a ila b le fo r S e p te m b e r 2000 r^ rJ * * CLIP AND SAVE G e ttin g to k n o w th e C o m m u n ity C a r e A c c e s s C e n tr e (C C A C ) o f H a lto n Special Event for Family and other Caregivers ^1 CCAC HALTO N · The Community Care Access Centre of Halton provides quality services for home care, referrals to nursing homes and health information to Halton residents. · The Community Care Access Centre of Halton helps the elderly, people with disabilities and those who are seriously illto stay in the comfort of their own homes for as long as possible. · The CommunityCare AccessCentreof Halton helps people of all ages to return to their homes earlier by providing quality home care after surgery or a hospital stay. · The Community Care Access Centre of Halton will help to find a home for your loved one when living independently is no longer a safe option. We will provide you with information regarding nursing homes and help you with the application process when you are ready. · There are many community agencies in Halton to serve your needs. If you are looking for help and don't know where to turn, call the Community Care Access Centre of Halton and ask to speak with a member of our Information and Referral Team. · The Community Care Access Centre of Halton is easy to contact. You can call us 7 days a week, 8:30 a.m. to 10:00p.m. by dialling (905) 639-5228 or, toll free at 1-800-810-0000. There is no cost to the client for direct services provided by the CCAC.Services are funded through the Ministry of Health andLong-Term Care. Come and hear Karen Henderson, Caregiver Network Inc., talk about "Care for the Caregiver" Date: Tuesday, May 30, 2000 Time: 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. Location: Auditorium, Halton Regional Centre 1151 Bronte Rd., Oakville To register for this informative session, please contact: Trina McLeod, Region o f Halton at (905) 825-6000 or (519) 853-0501, ext. 7149. F ashion show aids b reast cancer group St. Thomas A q u i n a s Secondary School is hosting a Spring Fashion Show for the Breast Cancer Society on May 25th and 26th. Students in the OAC Business A d m in is tra to rs course have orga nized and choreo graphed the event. Oakville Place, Downtown Oakville, and Square One in M ississauga are all participants in donating clothes to help raise funds for the event. Doors will open at 7 p.m. and the show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be ordered in advance by con tacting the school at 824-9494 for $5 each or can be purchased at the door for $7. No charge fo r th is even t. Upcoming Board Meeting Dates »Wednesday, May 17, 2000 William Osier Health Centre Georgetown Hospital Campus, Activity Room One Princess Anne Drive, Georgetown Wednesday, June 21, 2000 CCAC of Halton, 440 Elizabeth Street, 4th Floor, Burlington For further information regarding Board meetings, please contact Linda Ferras at: (905) 639-5228, ext. 8921 or call toll free 1-800-810-0000 How to contact us: P h o n e N u m b e rs: 4 4 0 E liz a b e th S t., 4 th F lo o r, B u r lin g to n V is it o u r w e b s i t e : (905)639-5228 o r t o ll fre e : Telephone Inquiries: 8 :3 0a.m. · 1 0 :0 0p.m. daily Office Hours (open to the public): 8 :3 0a.m. 4 :3 0p.m. (Monday Friday) 1-800-810-0000 w w w .c c a c -h a lto n .o n .c a