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ujphM ery IkJ For the finest in CUSTOM UPHOLSTERING call Baier's. Makers o f fine upholstered furniture. 2333 Wyecrofl Raid. I M 7 V f ] A ZO I (haween B n o tA Thud L ite ) Look for your Oakville Rotary Auction Guide inside today's paper! W E D N E S ^ ^ O ^ M B E R 2 ^ 2 0 0 ^ Mercedes-Bem 72 Pages A Metroland Publication Vol.38 75 Cents (plus GS1 i Pair faces < drug charges H alton R egional P olice have charged tw o m en after a drug transac tion w as observed outside an Oakville restaurant T hursday afternoon. A ccording to police, m em bers o f the D rug and M orality B ureau arrested the buyer w ho w as found to be in pos session o f m arijuana. A second male was arrested a short tim e later. T he investigation into the second suspect led to the seizure o f m arijuana, hashish, cocaine and a quantity o f cash with a total value o f $1,200. . S tep h en M ader, 29, o f P rince C h arles S treet, O ak v ille has been charged w ith possession o f a controlled substance. Frederick W icks, 33, o f Tyandaga P ark D rive, B urlington has been charged w ith three counts o f posses sion for the purpose o f trafficking. Alliance ' targets Liberal MP D a n F erro n e g o e s a fte r B o n n ie B ro w n in fir s t a ll-c a n d id a te s m e e tin g By Kim Amott SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER M inister praises Halton workfare, By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF B ased on the prem ise that m ost peo ple collecting social assistance w ant to work, b u t often lack the skills neces sary to land a jo b , O ntario W orks Halton is celebrating w hat organizers , and participants alike call a three-year success story. On M onday, Halton Region h osted an a p p re c ia tio n luncheon for all the n on profit, public and private sector partners w hich have supported O ntario Works since 1997. S o c ia l S e rv ic e s S pecial guest w a s M in ister John B aird: e x p e rie n c e C o m m u n i t y and Social th e issue S e r v i c e s M inister John B aird w ho praised every one w ho took part and the results they have achieved. "W hen I first becam e involved in this program , the benefit I saw w as the difference it m ade in som eone's self esteem , the pride that com es with being independent," said Baird. It is vital, he continued, for people to get the experience and references they need to com plete jo b applications. " 'N il' is a real barrier to getting a jo b ," said Baird, w ho m aintains that benefits to clients include the "hope an d d ig n ity that com e w ith selfreliance" w hile they contribute to their com munity. People applying for, and those cur rently receiving, social assistance and w ho are em ployable are required to enroll in O ntario W orks. Participation by the disabled and sole-support par ents w ith very young children is volun tary. W ith five different program s tai lored to the individual needs o f clients, O ntario W orks - H alton pairs clients with trained casew orkers, and together they develop the m ost suitable action plan. T his can incorporate everything from financial assistance and em ploy m ent support (interview skills, resum e w riting etc.) to placem ent with non profit and com m unity groups and paid em ploym ent for job-ready participants. L earning, E arning and Parenting (LEA P) offers teenagers w ith children the opportunity to finish high school, learn parenting skills, secure child care and find work. A ccording to regional chair Joyce Savoline, m ore than 750 clients have landed com m unity placem ents w ith in excess o f 80 groups, w hile over 150 clien ts en joyed em ploym ent place m ents w ith 100-plus organizations. (See `Confidence' page A3) F rom the moment he took the microphone at an all candidates meeting M onday night, O akville's Canadian Alliance candidate Dan Ferrone was gunning for incumbent Liberal MP Bonnie Brown. H e criticized her party's position on health care and crim e, the L iberal's m ism anagem ent o f taxpayers' m oney in the departm ent o f H um an Resources and B ro w n 's rep resen tatio n o f the tow n's voters. H e told the au dience that the A lliance platform o f free votes in the H ouse o f C om m ons will allow him to truly represent local constituents. "It's tim e that O akville had a M em ber o f Parliam ent that represents O akville in O ttawa, not O ttaw a in O akville," said Ferrone, recycling a phrase he originally used during his nom ination meeting. B ut Brown, w ho began by insisting she w anted a "civil d isco u rse" and w o u ld n 't be attack in g an y one, also m an aged to get in a few shots o f her own. She suggest ed the Canadian A lliance's fiscal p latfo rm w ill put the country back in a deficit Liberal position and that Alliance Party's Dan Ferrone Bonnie Brown the party's sup port for referendum s indicates a lack o f leadership. Brow n also quoted from A lberta's record o f debate to suggest A lliance leader Stockw ell D ay is in favour o f priva tization o f hospitals. T he "m oderate parties" all w ant to see m ore m oney put into health care, she told the audience. "Only one party is w illing to diverge from that tradition al Canadian value," Brown added. Ferrone argued that the A lliance is prepared to guarantee stable funding for the health care system , and that the Liberals have cut $98 m illion from health-care in O akville alone since elected in 1993. 'A lth o u g h the o th er three can d id ates, P ro g ressiv e Conservative R ick Byers, N D P candidate W illie Lam bert and D avid de Belle o f the G reen Party also took shots at the governm ent and each other, the battle quickly shaped up as Brown versus Ferrone. Even m ost o f those who lined up to ask questions o f the contenders appeared to take aim at one o f the tw o o f them. A lthough Brow n criticized the A lliance's position on health care, she faced an angry local doctor who claim ed that the last seven years have seen increased em ergency room waits, as well as delays in surgery and specialist visits. "W hy w ould anyone w ho cares about health care in this country vote for you or your p a rty ? ' he asked Brow n. "We have a record o f prudent fiscal m anagem ent and we have a record o f being dedicated to the Canada H ealth A ct," she answered. C andidates also faced questions on the Young O ffenders Act, the future o f the economy, the likelihood o f a tw o-tiered health system , the tone o f the rhetoric in the election cam paign, referendum s, capital punishm ent, global w arm ing and corporate donations. (See `Debate' page A4) Photo by Peter C. McCusker Halton Region Police Deputy Chief Gary Crowell and Halton Regional Chair Joyce Savoline unveil a camera at Trafalgar Road, and Dundas Street Monday. The camera will be used to spot motorists who run red lights at the busy intersection. S a y cheese! Camera ready to catch red l ight running drivers By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF If com m on sense w on't make drivers obey red lights, then H alton's new camera-based m onitoring initiative will make them pay the price. "T his is a warning," said Halton Regional Police D eputy C hief Gary Crowell, w ho spot ted at least four vehicles running the light at D undas Street and Trafalgar Road during M onday's official launch. "W e're serious about that." According to Planning and Public Works C om m issioner Pat M urphy, the tw o-year pilot project em ploys "very sophisticated" technol ogy, and proponents o f the program are anx ious to see how well it works. T he $100,000 cam era - which will be up at four alternating and undisclosed intersections in Oakville and Burlington - will activate and take images o f vehicles only after the red light is on. (Vehicles already in an intersection when the signal changes red - such as those waiting to turn - are not considered red light runners.) Stepped up enforcem ent will m onitor the rem aining intersections. "Our aim in participating in this program is to im prove safety for all road users by reduc ing red light running," said Murphy, who added that part o f the pilot program is to see how offenders fare once in the court system. "It's im portant to rem em ber that whether there is a cam era at an intersection or not, a red light means stop." In other jurisdictions where the cameras have been used, occurrences have dropped between 32% and 42% , said Murphy. Better still, aw areness also reduces infractions at other intersections. "It's about putting safety first," said region al chair Joyce Savoline. "We hope that the installation o f these cam eras and increased police enforcem ent will result in few er colli sions, injuries and fatalities, not only at these intersections but across the region." Crowell explained that last year in Ontario 48,000 collisions transpired at signalized inter sections, so anything that reduces injuries, property dam age and death is welcome. 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