The Ontario Power Authority has delayed the decision until the end of September for a natural-gas fired power plant to be located within the Oakville/Mississauga area, pending further review to ensure reductions of pollution within the Clarkson Airshed study (Oakville/Mississauga area).
The press release states, "In response to community concerns, George Smitherman, Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, has requested that the OPA expand on work that the government has done to reduce emissions from local industries. In doing so, the Ontario government and the OPA will collaborate with local governments, industries and community groups to achieve this goal. "
The Oakville Chamber of Commerce and Town of Oakville with the various Business Improvement Areas (Bronte BIA, Downtown Oakville BIA and Kerr Village BIA) have partnered to launch the "I shop Oakville" campaign, until the end of September 2009.
Shopping within our community helps to support our local economy and members of our community to keep our community vibrant, healthy, and sustainable. Shopping in our local stores:
Keeps the dollars in our community to help fund local services, events and charities;
Creates healthy competition among local businesses resulting in fair prices and more choices for you;
Creates local jobs;
Reduces your carbon footprint;
Allows local businesses to reflect and respond to the needs of local consumers.
Helps to ensure our local businesses continue to thrive.
On Monday 10th August 2009, suspects entered a private residence on Kestell Blvd (near Dundas, East of Trafalgar) in Oakville and ransacked the house taking an undisclosed amount of property. The suspect was dressed as a delivery courier and used this to gain entry to the residence. Once inside the suspect used a noxious spray to overcome the lone adult female and bound her up inside the residence. A young child who was also present was overcome by the fumes. Both victims where transported to Oakville Hospital as a precaution and later released.
Halton police are warning residents to be extra vigilant of any strangers at there door and take extra care if they are not expecting any packages to be delivered. This is the first robbery of this kind in Oakville and it is unclear at this time if the victims where targeted for this crime.
Police are appealing to anyone who may have information in regards to this incident to come forward and contact police at 905-825-4747 ext #2204 or call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Oakville Residents for Public Education is retaining the top-rated Oakville firm of O'Connor MacLeod Hanna LLP to advise and represent it in legal issues arising out the Board's decision of June 17, 2009. We have been advised that there could be a good case for a legal review of the Board's process leading up to the decision, as well as the decision itself.
We wish to express our sincere thanks to Stikeman Elliot LLP, which provided assistance pro bono after the original closure decision of July 2, 2008. Their advice and representation were always of the highest standard.
As the process moves forward, we will be asking the community for support of any legal efforts.
Trustees change Director’s recommendations to benefit 5% of students in Ward 3, jeopardizing long-term stability.
We have now had the opportunity to reflect on the decision of the HDSB Board of Trustees to reject the recommendations of the Board staff, and vote unanimously in favour of the “Hybrid 3b” promoted by Trustee Ellis.
Like most people, we are tired of conflict and division. We would like to see a fair, long-term solution supported by the community, and turn our focus to constructive engagement with the Board.
Unfortunately, as it currently stands, “Hybrid 3b” is neither fair, nor sustainable, nor worthy of community support. For that reason, we cannot rule out the possibility of supporting the many voices in this community calling for a legal response to this decision. We have formed a litigation committee to explore the viability of this option.
If we simply stand down and let this decision pass as is, we are storing up trouble that will cause further instability, community division, and diversion of Board resources down the road, as in all likelihood New Central will close.
Why?
1. Hybrid 3b is unsustainable
Before the vote, Director Joudrie repeatedly told the Trustees that Hybrid 3b was not recommended because it rendered New Central unviable in the long run. The reason is that the catchment boundaries have been needlessly redrawn to bring the numbers of students at New Central below a long-term sustainable level.
The number of students living between Maple Grove Drive and Wedgewood Drive represent only 5% of the total number of public school students in Ward 3, but keeping them at Maple Grove is enough to tip the balance away from long-term viability for the whole Ward.
It is all very well to hope that having an (undefined) special program will help to bring students back to New Central, but the more likely outcome is that parents will feel that the school will ultimately close and will choose other options, whether private school, separate school or French Immersion. Unless people are confident that the solution is sustainable, unsustainability may become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Many people think that Hybrid 3b is just a stepping stone to the July 2, 2008 decision. Based on the statements of the Director, and the objective facts, these concerns are reasonable and well founded.
2. Hybrid 3b is unfair
Clearview is getting a new school, at a cost of about $10 million. Maple Grove is budgeted to receive over $6 million dollars of renovations.
But EJ James? Nothing.
And New Central? The minimum amount required to accommodate the additional children. Staff were very clear before the vote that New Central would need a significant capital budget to be sustainable in the Hybrid 3b option --- none has been provided.
It is grossly unfair and unacceptable for part of the ward (widely perceived -- rightly or wrongly -- to constitute the Trustee’s political base) to be lavished with money, funded by the sale of Linbrook, Brantwood and Chisholm, while the rest gets little or nothing – not even long-term sustainability.
Whatever the outcome, all of the students in Ward 3 deserve updated, modernized facilities, and a stable, long-term solution. As it currently stands, Hybrid 3b leaves open the question of whether there will be an adequate and equitable expenditure of capital funding to bring all of the facilities up to modern standards.
3. Hybrid 3b does not reflect the Community input
The Board staff’s recommendation received the endorsement of 5 of 6 elementary school councils, and all four residents’ associations south of Cornwall Road, representing almost 18,000 residents. South of Cornwall Road, opposition centred on a group of Maple Grove parents residing between Maple Grove Drive and Wedgewood Drive, whose children would attend New Central under the staff recommendation -- representing perhaps, 5% of the school board's student population.
The breadth of support for the Director’s recommendation was remarkable and unprecedented, and represented a major achievement for the community. Ministry appointed facilitator, David Cooke, made it very clear that public education is a partnership between Board, parents & community.
Are the differences between the staff recommendation and Hybrid 3b so compelling that the community’s clearly expressed input and partnership recommendation of David Cooke should be rejected again? We don’t think so.
It would be one thing if Hybrid 3b was a clearly better sustainable alternative, but it is not. Indeed, from many points of view it is worse.
4. Hybrid 3b is perceived -- rightly or wrongly -- as tainted by favoritism
Rightly or wrongly, many people feel that the main reason for the Trustees to support Hybrid 3b was that the Staff’s recommendation inconvenienced certain Maple Grove parents who have the ear of Trustee Ellis. Trustee Ellis has had a long relationship with Maple Grove, and has continued to volunteer there, which of course she is entitled to do.
However, are the interests of Maple Grove parents who live close to the school so important that the whole solution should be rendered unstable?
If the real concern of the Trustees was the flexibility of the available facilities rather than the impact on a small slice of residents (who already have walk-to schools from Grade 7 - 12), there would have been no reason to change the catchment boundaries from those contained in the Staff’s original recommendation.
The perception of favoritism toward Maple Grove parents was exacerbated by an official communication that was sent home to Maple Grove families through the back packs on June 5, 2009, asking parents to support Hybrid 3b and to let the Trustees know of this support.
When every other school council in Ward 3 has found its communications with parents censored and restricted, this campaigning by one group through official channels at a critical time in the debate – followed by that group’s wishes being promoted by Trustee Ellis and ratified by the Trustees, unanimously – has generated enormous bitterness and frustration, as well as conspiracy theories.
Perceptions of favoritism – whether well founded or not – do not promote “healing” or stability in the community.
Can you help?
Yes. People like you have made the difference in this struggle to reach a positive outcome. You can continue to make a difference.
In an ironic twist of fate, the Halton Catholic District School Board's St. Vincent Public School, a JK-8 school located in South East Oakville, has received an overwhelming number of inquiries from parents wishing to enroll in St. Vincent for the 2010 school year.
St. Vincent is a JK-8 school located centrally in SE Oakville. According to a number of parents that have inquired, the school is now concerned they will not be able to accept the number of parents inquiring for their children. They simply won't have the capacity to accept all the students. This applies across all grade levels.
In a further twist of irony, the Halton Catholic District School Board is considering its own PARC (closure) process in Ward 3 South East Oakville, but may now have sufficient students at St. Vincent that a closure analysis will not be needed.
What this reaction of parents makes crystal clear is the Halton District School Board Trustees have further disenfranchised the community of SE Oakville. Parents and community groups overwhelmingly supported the recommendation of the school board staff after what has been 17 or more tortuous years of the school board attempting to close schools and build a school in Clearview. A decision was clearly within their grasp that would have created a valuable and sustainable partnership with the community. But alas, the Trustees took it upon themselves to craft a solution that has generated greater anger and frustration in the community, a situation made worse by unnecessary boundary changes and gross inequities in the funding for renovation between different schools in the Ward.
Parents have options for educating their children and it has been disappointing to see the Trustees rejection of the principles of the Cooke report calling for a partnership between Board, parents and community.
In the end, we have 3 choices: swallow the Trustees' decision, which will lead to more school closures; change schools and school boards, which will have the same result; or continue to fight for a fair and just decision.
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in Schools by I_heart_oakville, 14-04-10 06:43