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l / T h e O a k v il l e s i w a r d -P l/tm tH f C tw M OffKIAL MEDIA OF p a f tw tty v e r ^ofcutSmjSrurv. E X PR E S S MOTBL^SUtTB* I A World within Oakville Page D4 WOSS rolls up 3 straight Sports 5 2 Pages Phone V IP -1 0 0 0 A Metroland Publication Vol. 37 No, 125 * WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20,1999 75 Cents (p irn GST) W ill it be Sp e ake r C a rr? Oakville MPP will find out today if he'll be Speaker of the House Today's the day Oakville MPP Gary Carr finds out whether he's the new House Speaker at Queen's Park. The election of a new Speaker is always the first agenda item on the first day of business, in this case today at 3 p.m. (Tomorrow will be the Throne Speech.) This is done through secret ballot, the only vote taken at Queen's Park that is not a show of hands. Previous to 1990, the premier appointed the Speaker, but this system was changed to make the selection less partisan. Votes are cast in a ballot box set on the Clerk's table, after which they are counted. A winner is declared when a candidate has 50% of the votes, plus one. If not, the member with the least votes is dropped off the next ballot. When a winner is determined, the House adjourns and the new Speaker is sworn in immediately. Next day, they assume control of the Legislature. Any MPP has until the morning of the vote to register, as long as they have a nomi nator and a se c o n d e r. S e v e r a l MPPs, includ ing DufferinPeel MPP Oakville MPP Gary Dave Tilson, Carr: decision on have been House Speaker will gauging sup be made today port for their own bids. Can- has previously stated that he has the experience (he has been an MPP since 1990) and the talent to tackle the added responsibilities of the Speaker's position above and beyond those of an MPP. Photo by Ron Kuzyk Michael Buscar gets in a little practice before heading off to Europe for chess competition. Y o u n g c h e s s c o m p e tito r loo k s to R u s s ia n m a s te r to h on e h is g am e M ich a el B uscar ; 12, to com pete in W orld Youth Chess Festival By Kathy Yanchus SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Michael Buscar is off to Europe again. This time, the 12-year-old chess whiz will travel to Barcelona to compete in the under 12 World Youth Chess Festival, Oct. 22nd-Nov. 6th. His previous trip abroad took him to Cannes, France where he participated in the same competition, but in the under 10 category. In that contest he finished 38th out of 88. Eighty countries will again participate in the 11-round tourney and Michael is hoping to place in the top 20 this time. In preparation, he has been voraciously reading chess books and studying overtime with his coach of eight months, Russian chess master Yuri Oochkos. "A week before I go, I rest. I need lots of time to rest," said the Grade 7 Holy Family School studeht. Michael's father Bernard, who introduced his son to chess at the age of five, said his son is hoping to renew old acquaintances at the festival. "By going there, he has already won," said Bernard, who will accompany Michael on the two-week excursion. Over the past two years, Michael has also honed his chess skills and built up his confidence by playing adult oppo nents, travelling back and forth to Toronto to do so. "Sometimes they underestimate me because I'm small," said Michael. "It gives me more experience and I think hard er." Last year Michael did not qualify for the world champi onships because he was too busy playing against older oppo nents, explained his father. Over the summer, Michael devotes three to five hours each day to chess, but once school begins, that number decreases. "Homework comes first," said his dad. "He just happens to like chess very much. But school will always be number one. He enjoys winning, but it's always good to be good at school." Bernard approached Oochkos to help his son reach his potential - Michael has surpassed his own talent at chess, his father adm its. `They had played against each other at tournaments and I asked him if he would be Michael's coach." Every Friday night for two hours, Oochkos and Michael sit down at the chess board, fine tuning the youngster's skills and strategies. Michael has "a quick sight of the board which means he analyzes quickly" according to Tom O'Donnell, of the Chess Federation of Canada. With the right combination of passion and proper coaching, he could become a very strong player, added O 'Donnell. "I like winning," admitted Michael. "Chess is fun and keeps me really focused." The Buscar family is paying the $4,500 for trip expenses out of their own pocket as there is no sponsor ship money available - the Chess Federation gets by on membership funds alone - but they are in the market for sponsors to support Michael's budding chess career. Anyone who is interested in helping out, can contact the family at 338-0917. School board seeks input on new strategic plan Three "open house" sessions will be provided to gather input from stu dents, school councils and members of the public, on the Halton District School Board draft mission statement and beliefs which will form the basis of a new strategic plan. The first regional "open house" will be held tomorrow night at White Oaks Secondary School (South Campus) from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. W hite Oaks Secondary School is located at 1330 Montclair Drive. The format for this session will be the same as the other two regional sessions. Those sessions are to be held in Burlington at the Mainway Arena, 4015 Mainway Drive, on Friday, Oct. 22nd, from 9:30 a.m. to noon, and in Georgetown at Centennial Public School, 233 Delrex Boulevard, on Monday, Oct. 25th, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The Board's draft mission state ment, and 12 belief statements will be available for public comment and dis cussion. Input from these sessions will be considered by the Board's Strategic Planning Steering Committee in the development of the plan document during the next few months. "It is our intent to involve all stake holders in this process," says Dusty Papke, Director of Education of the Halton District School Board. "We have provided an opportunity for all staff to provide input into the draft mission statements and beliefs, and would invite school councils, students and members o f the public to have their say as well." Superintendent o f Education, Beth Shelswell, and Nelson High School Principal, Barry Finlay, are co-chairs of the B oard's Strategic Planning Committee, and will be available at each o f the "open houses" to respond to questions and comments from peo ple interested in providing input. Hydro work means weekend road closures Local motorists are being advised of traffic detours this weekend in conjunc tion with the dismantling of four hydro structures in north Oakville. The traffic diversions will take place starting Friday at 7 p.m. right through Sunday as four steel Ontario Hydro poles on the north side of Glen Abbey Golf Course are removed. All traffic will be diverted between Dorval Drive and the west side of the Smith-Triller Viaduct to the north side of the centre median. The two westbound lanes of Upper Middle Road will be split to allow movement in both directions, while Oakville Hydro occupies the two eastbound lanes. For safety reasons, pedestrians and cyclists are being asked to use the north side only from Dorval Drive to the pedestrian overpass bridge on the east side of Smith-Triller. Normal operating conditions will return for the Monday morning rush hour. Flu shot clinics set The Halton Region Health Department is holding two flu shot clinics over the next two weeks. The first takes place Friday from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. at the Oakville Senior Citizens' Recreation Centre, 263 KenStreet. The second is set for Nov. 11th from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. at the Oakville Senior C itizens Residence, 2220 Lakeshore Rd. West. No appointments are needed for either clinic. Cost is free for people over 65 years-of-age. All others must pay $12 cash For more inform ation, call the Health Department at 825-6060 ext. 7849. today' s paper Editorials................ ......... Afi Fn rjK ................... .......... Rt Entertainment.......... .----------- B4 Business................. Sports.................... ....... n Friuratinn................ ........... fid r«s Classified............... . Automotive............. , _______D1 Speed Supplements: For Home Delivery: The Maytag Store, Business Depot, Devi Home i Garden, Home Depot Partial delivery: Clargreen Gardens, White Rose, Royal Winter Fair, Cashway, Marks Work Warehouse, Alexanian, DIMS Guardian, Ennisclaire Interiors, Little Caesars Canadian Publications Mail Product Agreement #435-201 Photo by Barrie Erskine rolling a six foot diameter ball along Trafalgar Road Monday as part of a fundraising program for the United Way of Oakville by the town's independent schools. After rolling the ball around town for two days, the ball will arrive back at Towne Square this morning. Last year the independent schools raised $35,000 for their United Way project. , K EEP THE BALL ROLLING: Glenburnie School students take their turn 'Q u ality L ice n se d C h a r a c te r M erch a n d ise ' Free A nytime - C hildren A re I nvited T o W atch T heir Favorite C ar t o o n s A n d P lay O ur 3 V id eo G am es . I PeterW g t s°n Hil 1 N V F. S T M E N T S Erin M ills C e n tre 3 0 5 0 Vega B lvd., M ississauga (905) 828-5511 RETIREMENT PLANNING SPECIALISTS ^ P o o h C lo th in c ^ N o w on Sak Free C o n s u l t a t io n 8 4 2 -2 1 0 0