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economist suntribune education saturday march 112000 do ya like ta play ball i name one disease so sinister then log on to www i seest uplayballcom andgeibusyl 7 onttrfiyiiili vl u ill ifoutop dubttev llcan itjrj to diabetes mm my 1 tt concert new class time rules anger teachers unions by gianni colavecchia staff writer york region teachers unions are slamming the provinces new stricter definition of instruction al time but theyre still optimistic it wont prevent them reaching a contract later this year education minister janet ecker has announced she will enact a regulation that defines teaching time and excludes the hours teachers spend covering for absent colleagues voluntary activities she has threatened to force teachers to supervise extracur ricular activities if they resist ihor baczynsky president of the york catholic teachers association said compelling teachers to perform voluntary activities goes too far basically what you are look ing at is a dictatorship he said baczynsky said its unfair to keep changing the rules govern ing teachers this government has legis lated every change to the point where it has become very intru sive in collective bargaining he said despite this baczynsky said it wont be hard to hammer out a collective agreement when instructors contracts expire later this year gerry harrison president of the york region branch of the ontario secondary school teachers federation said it will be a lot harder to reach a settle ment now than if the regulation didnt exist i dont think it would be impossible to get a deal but it would be much harder theres no doubt about that he said teachers are looking for a salary increase but its unlikely they will strike in september he added harrison criticized eckers plan saying any time a teacher deals with a student is instruc tional time its a pretty narrow view to say the only time youre instruct ing students is when youre in front of a classroom he said bill 160 the controversial education reform that prompted illegal teachers strikes across ontario two years ago requires instructors to set aside more than four hours a day in instruc tional time board and union officials agreed the time spent covering for absent teachers would count as instructional time oak ridges mpp frank klees admitted the plan may cause problems during negotiations but said its necessary we wouldnt even be having this discussion if everyone had abided by the original legislation the boards have become very creative in justifying what instructional time is he said apparently we have to tell them how to interpretonstruc- tional time becausethe first time many boards didnt get it right he said we have no choice but to help them interpret it so the message is very clear york catholic school board chairperson elizabeth crowe said officials are trying to find a method of scheduling that meets the new definition of instruc tional time solution possible what this government is doing is taking away our flexibil ity she said though this has put a wrin kle in our negotiations i think we can find a solution that will work in york region york region public school board chairperson bill grothers wouldnt comment on the issues of tightening instructional time or forcing teachers to perform extracurricular activities board and union officials have worked in a productive manner he said one would be hopeful that we could continue to do that he added umlii iu iif msinfonteiia 1 c tickets 55 38 ticket available markham theatre for performing arts 9053057469 fccm ftsffljiim v ka- tajte5sj karchaturion fmn f pcbpffi zhang chao hrp tangjianping yaf orannizvn silk kir iioruiiniir vain 1 m k mm ill aluklil 111 iv inquires 604 3314468 misi8fllsinfoiiuxii mrfc mi brace dabyshire jbbskfftt kemsto custom tailors mmmmh mtib mwmh s n m rmocra mtc drv surooo rja ttkum m club markham no other club gives you more and were good and close 5 international squash courts squash professional and pro shop state-of-the- art exercise gym 75000 in recent upgrades expanded free weight room large aerobics studio with cushioned floor ask about our exciting new classes personal trainers computerized fitness evaluation program indoor swimming pool with adjacent garden patio aquafit classes whirlpool steam rooms and dry saunas child care chiropractic rehab services from markham pain clinic massage therapy esthehcian free towel service grooming aids licensed lounge and restaurant plenty of free parking located in the embassy suites 8500 warden avenue at hwy7 markham 9054702400 we offer reciprocal membership privileges ot the adelaide club downtown and ontario racquet club mississauga ask for details pawns must be 1 9 years or older you must take odvontoge of these offers by march 1 5 2000 not valid for present club members or past trial members