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SERVICE HOURS MON., WED., THURS., FRI. 7:30 A.M. - 6:00 P.M. TUES. 7:30 A.M. - 8:00 P.M. SAT. 8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M. (905) 831-5400 www.p ickeringhonda.com Email: service@pickeringhonda.com 575 KINGSTON RD. Buses cancelled, but schools stayed open and police were busy with more than 50 accidents By Crystal Crimi ccrimi@durhamregion.com PICKERING — School buses can get through snow, but ice is a differ- ent story, said an official for Durham Student Transportation Services. For the first time this school year, about 28,000 students from Durham’s Catholic and public school boards were left without a bus ride to school Monday, following the region’s first major hit of winter weather. “Snow is easy for school buses... but like anything else, on ice, it can be difficult to get through,” said Lynda Smith, Chief Administrative Officer for Durham Student Trans- portation Services. When inclement weather occurs, contact with the Region’s road crews starts around 5 a.m. Information such as what driv- ing conditions are like, which roads have been cleared, and which ones still need work, is collected to help make a decision. “All that information is sent to me at home... and we start to get it all together,” said Ms. Smith. Other school boards are also con- tacted to discuss road conditions in their area. Ms. Smith said although main roads are often fine, side roads can be more challenging to drive, espe- cially along some rural routes. “This morning when we knew it was getting worse and the forecast wasn’t getting any better, we decided to cancel,” said Ms. Smith. She added if buses are cancelled, they’re can- celled for the whole day. In Durham, cancellation decisions are made by about 6 a.m. so media can be notified and broadcast the decision, said Ms. Smith. The transportation services’ web- site is also updated at www.dsts. on.ca, as well as its automated voice system, 905-666-6979. Information on where to find out about weather cancellations is also provided in school newsletters and in the Durham District School Board’s calendar for the month of November. Last winter, there was only one bus cancellation that Ms. Smith can recall. When buses do get cancelled, it doesn’t mean schools are closed as well. In poor weather conditions, the side roads can be very danger- ous, but there’s always people who can make it through, said Mark Joel, the Durham District School Board’s superintendent of operations/trans- portation. “The schools are open unless it officially says all schools are closed,” said Mr. Joel. He added in more than 30 years, there have only been a handful of times when schools closed because of weather. “It’s very infrequent,” said Mr. Joel. He added review is taught if only a few people make it to school during a bus cancellation. Monday’s ice storm may have caused 51 fender benders across the region, according to police, but by Tuesday, life was pretty much back to normal on local roads. Winter bites back[ Briefly ] Hundreds charged during traffic blitz DURHAM — One motorist caught doing twice the posted speed limit and another who was found to have altered an expired plate validation sticker were among dozens of drivers charged during a week-long traffic safety blitz under- taken by Durham police. Officers issued a total of 1,887 tickets during the campaign, which focused on enforcement in or near school zones. By far the majority of charges -- 1,492 in all -- were for speeding, while other infractions included document-related charges, driving under suspension or without insurance, and, in the case of two drivers, failing to stop for school buses. In one instance a driver was nabbed doing 123 km/h in a zone posted at 60 km/h, while in another a driver was caught speeding at 115 km/h in a posted 50 km/h zone, police said. Clerk struck with pellet when youth opens fire PICKERING — Durham police are investigating a bizarre incident in which a convenience store clerk was shot in the face by a youth wielding a pellet gun Monday night. Sergeant Paul McCurbin said a 52-year-old man was working in the Mac’s store at Hwy. 7 and Brock Road in Brougham around 9:50 p.m. when a youth opened the door and fired several shots from a silver pellet gun. The shooter laughed before leaving the store, police said. “One of the pellets struck the victim above the eye,” Sgt. McCurbin said. Investigators recovered four plastic pellets at the scene. The shooter is described as a short white male, aged 14 to 19, who wore a black hooded coat. He fled the scene and may have got into a ve- hicle, Sgt. McCurbin said. The clerk was not seriously injured. “There’s no permanent in- jury,” Sgt. McCurbin said. “He was hit above the left eye in his forehead.” [ Index ] Editorial Page, A6 Sports, B1 Entertainment, B7 Classified, B4 [ Call us] General: 905 683 5110 Distribution: 905 683 5117 General Fax: 905 683 7363 Newsroom Fax: 905 683 0386 Pressrun 49,900 durhamregion.com Demolitions to resume on Pickering airport lands Twelve properties will be destroyed By Danielle Milley dmilley@durhamregion.com PICKERING — The bulldozers will once again be making an appear- ance on the federal airport lands in Pickering. Transport Canada has given notice that 12 properties within the federally owned airport lands in Pickering and Markham will be destroyed. Two years ago the community ral- lied together to protest the announce- ment and demolition of many prop- erties on the lands; with the help of Ajax-Pickering MP Mark Holland an informal moratorium was reached with former Liberal transport minister Jean Lapierre. Mr. Holland said that despite the change in government last January, he was under the impression the morato- rium was still in effect. “There was an agreement and I thought that agreement continued in my discussions with the minister,” he said Monday. Mr. Holland and the commu- nity were notified of the demolitions through a Jan. 5 notice in the local paper, although it read “we are noti- fying persons of interest about these upcoming demolitions.” Mr. Holland said he was also noti- fied in a letter from Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, but he didn’t re- ceive it until Monday. Transport Canada, which owns the land, intends to tear down seven homes and five barns. The homes in Pickering are located at 3540 Brock Rd., 4175 Brock Rd., 3865 York/Dur- ham Line, and 1115 Regional Road Five. They were vacated following the evic- tion of their tenants by Public Works, with letters sent out between Novem- ber 2004 and February 2005. Paula Fairfax, Transport Canada spokes- woman, said the properties were va- cated for the purpose of demolition. Members of stewardship group Land Over Landings have fought evictions and demolitions on the federal lands for years. They would like to see the homes taken care of and the popula- tion maintained. Gabrielle Untermann and her hus- ✦ See Group, Page A4 Ron Pietroniro /News Advertiser Photo Berni Elbers, 86, walks briskly through Bay Ridges on Tuesday morning a day after the first major snow storm of the year. Ms. Elbers says that she walks every day regard- less of the weather. Below, a snow plow operator was busy keeping the snow and ice off Hwy. 2 in Pickering. The Pickering 50 PAGES ✦ Metroland Durham Region Media Group ✦ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17 2007 ✦ Optional delivery $6 / Newsstand $1 Zooming along Mazda CX-7 offers the best of two worlds Wheels pullout On the attack Ajax triumphs over neighbours to the west Page B2 Did you know? That our Lottery offers the most $100,000 cash prizes to be won. Did you know? That our Lottery has only 87,500 tickets in the drum. Did you know? That our Lottery has the BEST ODDS to WIN $1 MILLION, $100,000 and $10,000 Cash Prizes tax free than any other Health Lottery. Did you know? That our Lottery is the only Health Lottery that guarantees ALL prizes to be worth more than the cost of one ticket! Did you know? That our Lottery does not use professional consultants to manage the Lottery, therefore more money goes directly to our Cancer Centre. cashforcancer.com 1-877-460-3800 Did you know? That our Lottery offers the most Early Bird prizes of any health Lottery! *All inquiries on the odds of winning are to be made to the licensee prior to the purchase of the tickets). Please see your Brochure or visit cashforcancer.com for complete list of prizes, draw dates and all the rules. Prizes may not be exactly as shown. Lottery License #P061844. $100,000 Shopping Spree YOU CAN BE ONTARIO’S NEXT MILLIONAIRE! 2007 C a d i l l a c E s c a l a d e E X T A W D 4 d r $85,8 7 6 . 3 0 2007 Ch e v r o l e t C o r v e t t e $ 8 1 , 3 9 0 . 0 0 PA GE A2 ◆ NEWS A DVERTISER ◆ January 17, 2007A/P Help sought or services suffer By Keith Gilligan kgilligan@durhamregion.com DURHAM — The United Way is $200,000 short of its goal, so the fund- raising campaign is being extended to early February. Campaign Chairman Don Terry says “we’re currently sitting at about 88 per cent of our goal. Our goal is $1.9 mil- lion. “It’s tough. Our goal is a tough goal to reach, but it’s necessarily so. So many services are needed,” he adds. The United Way funds 30 agen- cies and Mr. Terry says if the goal isn’t reached, programs offered will suffer. “It’s likely the agencies we support will receive some- what less funding than they need,” Mr. Terry notes. “The challenge, given all of that, if we don’t make our goal, people in our community of Ajax, Pickering and Uxbridge, the waiting list for ser- vices will grow. They may have to leave our community to get services they need. “Our United Way and our agencies have to work that much hard- er to make up for that gap. There are so many wonder- ful agencies out there. The competition, demand and need for donors is great as well,” Mr. Terry states. “One of the chal- lenges is people think of the United Way as something needed somewhere else. The reality is one-in-three people in our commu- nity are touched by the United Way in some way. People never imagined they would need the United Way or one of its agencies,” he says. “They don’t realize there are so many agencies, from the Red Cross to the CNIB, Meals on Wheels and the Big Brothers and Big Sisters. These are all agencies I know somebody or am related to somebody touched by these agencies. “We’re asking for a little help,” Mr. Te rry adds. Donations are being accepted up to Feb. 8, when the campaign wrap-up event is held at Deer Creek. Another challenge facing the Unit- ed Way is the provincial government spending less on social services in the 905 area than in other parts of the province, Mr. Terry says, adding the shortfall is about $550 million in the 905. “We’ve worked really hard and the volunteers have given a lot of them- selves and the staff as well. “I don’t want anyone to think rais- ing $1.7 million is a measure of not being successful,” he says. “Every little bit helps get us closer and helps us to deliver those services. “The services our agencies deliver aren’t nice to have, but they’re abso- lutely necessary for our community.” For information on making a dona- tion, call the United Way at 905-686- 0606 or visit www.uwayapu.org. FIND YOUR WINTER STYLE pickeringtowncentre.com FREE Sports Bag when you spend $75 or more at any Pickering Town Centre store, service or restaurant. FREE We llness Centre at Centre Court Fr iday, January 19th 4pm - 8pm Saturday, January 20th noon - 4pm • FREE Seated Massage • FREE Fitness Evaluation • Fitness Demonstration Monday, January 15th to Sunday, January 21st *Receipts must be dated after Sunday,January 14th,2007. One gift per customer, per visit.While quantities last. Offer expires on Sunday, January 21st,2007 at 6pm.See Guest Services for full details. * Log on to pickeringtowncentre.com for your chance to WIN A ONE-YEAR FITNESS CLUB MEMBERSHIP from *OBDDPSEBODFXJUIPVS#ZMBXT BOVNCFS PGDVSSFOU#PBSENFNCFSTUFSNTXJMM FYQJSFJO+VOF5IFSFGPSF UIF 3PVHF7BMMFZ)FBMUI4ZTUFNJTTFFLJOH #PBSE.FNCFSTJOUFSFTUFEJOTFSWJOHPO UIF3PVHF7BMMFZ)FBMUI4ZTUFN#PBSE FõFDUJWF+VOF 5IFTFQPTJUJPOTBSFOPSNBMMZmMMFECZ NFNCFSTPGUIFDPNNVOJUZXJUIFYQFSUJTF JOTPNFPGUIFTFmFMETIFBMUI HPWFSOBODF NBOBHFNFOU CVTJOFTT FEVDBUJPO mOBODF WPMVOUFFSMFBEFSTIJQBOEPSQVCMJDTFSWJDF "DDPSEJOHMZ UIF#PBSE(PWFSOBODF /PNJOBUJOH$PNNJUUFFJOWJUFT BQQMJDBUJPOTUPCFDPOTJEFSFEGPS OPNJOBUJPOUPUIF#PBSEPG%JSFDUPSTBUUIF "OOVBM(FOFSBM.FFUJOHPO+VOF *GZPVBSFJOUFSFTUFEJOBQQMZJOHUPKPJOUIF #PBSE QMFBTFFNBJMBDPNQMFUFSFTVNF PVUMJOJOHZPVSRVBMJmDBUJPOTBOEZPVS SFBTPOTGPSTFFLJOHUPCFPOUIF#PBSEUP DQFNCFS!SPVHFWBMMFZDBPSNBJMUP $IBJS #PBSE(PWFSOBODF/PNJOBUJOH $PNNJUUFF DP$ISJTUJOF1FNCFS "ENJOJTUSBUJPO 3PVHF7BMMFZ)FBMUI4ZTUFN &MMFTNFSF3PBE 4DBSCPSPVHI0/.&# *GZPVSFRVJSFGVSUIFSJOGPSNBUJPO QMFBTF DPOUBDU$ISJTUJOF1FNCFSBU %FBEMJOFGPSTVCNJTTJPOJT 'FCSVBSZ 7JTJUPVSXFCTJUFBUXXXSPVHFWBMMFZDB "DBMMGPS#PBSEBOE$PNNVOJU Z.FNCFST GPSU IF3PVHF7B MMFZ)FBMUI4ZTUFN #PBSEPG%JSFDUPST 416-287-UTSC (8872) www.utsc.utoronto.ca info@utsc.utoronto.ca Have you seen or heard us lately? We’ve experienced tremendous growth, with more than 10,000 students benefiting from our outstanding faculty. Three of our professors (left to right),Marc Fournier, Psychology, Steve Joordens, Psychology and Maydianne Andrade, Biology, are finalists in the upcoming TVO Best Lecturer Competition. We offer engaging lectures, dynamic art exhibits and enriching cultural programs. Come see and hear what people are talking about. Be part of the U of T Scarborough experience. This Month: Exhibit Opening: January 18th, Post Object, Doris McCarthy Gallery Reading: January 18th, Catherine Hernandez, head of Factory Theatre’s Education, Outreach and Publicity Program. Lecture: January 24th, “Who’s Afraid of the Immigrant? How Americans Learned to Fear Immigrants at the Turn of the Century: by Professor Daniel Bender MYSTICAL MONTE CARLOMYSTICAL MONTE CARLO Saturday February 17, 2007Saturday February 17, 2007 Tosca Banquet HallTosca Banquet Hall Cocktails. 6:30pm • Dinner. 7:30pmCocktails. 6:30pm • Dinner. 7:30pm Silent and Live AuctionSilent and Live Auction Master of CeremoniesMaster of Ceremonies Dan Carter, Channel 12 CHEX TV DurhamDan Carter, Channel 12 CHEX TV Durham ReceptionReception Martini bar • Hors d’oeuvres • Wine tasting withMartini bar • Hors d’oeuvres • Wine tasting with four-course dinner • Dancingfour-course dinner • Dancing $150.00 per person - black tie optional$150.00 per person - black tie optional Proceeds to benefi t the Durham Community FoundationProceeds to benefi t the Durham Community Foundation PA GE A3 ◆ NEWS A DVERTISER ◆ January 17, 2007 A/P United Way fundraising goal short $200,000 Suspects sought in two weekend robberies PICKERING — Durham Regional Police are investigating two separate commercial robberies over the week- end. On Friday at approximately 8 p.m. two masked men, one armed with a handgun, walked into the Dollarama store on Pickering Parkway, near Hwy. 401, in Pickering. The two men threat- ened two employees in a rear office of the store to turn over a quantity of cash. The suspects then fled the store in an unknown direction. Police and the K-9 Unit were called out to search for the suspects but could not locate them. The first suspect is de- scribed as black, light complexion, 15 to 16-years-old, 5-foot-9 with a small build. He was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt over his head and a black mask partially covering his face. The second suspect is described as black, dark complexion, 6-foot-1. He was wearing a three-quarter length jacket, blue jeans and a mask partially covering his face and was armed with a handgun. On Saturday at approximate- ly 12:30 p.m., a woman armed with a knife walked into the 500 Shop conve- nience store located on Mayfair Avenue in Oshawa. A female employee said she was confronted by a woman armed with a knife. The suspect demanded money and the employee complied by turning over a small quantity of cash. By Jeff Mitchell jmitchell@durhamregion.com DURHAM — A Whitby man was sen- tenced to five and a half years in prison Monday after an emotional hearing during which he was confronted by the boys he’d sexually assaulted over almost a decade. Sean Sprague said nothing when given the opportunity at his sentenc- ing hearing in Oshawa. He had earlier pleaded guilty to molesting three children: An 11-year- old girl who worked as a babysitter at his home, and the two young sons of a man who considered him his best friend. Ontario Court Justice Paul Bellefon- taine noted the close relationship Mr. Sprague had with the boys and their father in his reasons for the sentence. He said Mr. Sprague had taken advan- tage of that relationship to groom and sexually assault the boys, who were aged 7 and 8 when the abuse began more than a decade ago. “Mr. Sprague clearly stood in a posi- tion of trust,” the judge said. “He was treated like a parent or a second father by the boys.” The brothers, now 16 and 19, read victim impact statements during the hearing, as did their parents. All of them described the anguish and betrayal they’ve felt since the abuse came to light in January 2006. “I cannot go anywhere without thinking about Sean and what hap- pened,” the older victim said. “I do not trust anyone anymore.” The boys’ mother told the judge her family has been profoundly affected by the abuse and the events since disclo- sure was made. “They are my children -- my flesh and blood -- and you have destroyed their spirit,” she said in a statement addressed to Mr. Sprague. A court order prohibits publishing of information that might identify the victims. Mr. Sprague, who sat with his head in his hands throughout much of the sentencing hearing, chose to say noth- ing when given the opportunity by the judge. Friends and relatives gathered to support Mr. Sprague cried as he was led away by a police officer; the victims sat together on a separate courtroom bench, the younger brother resting his head on his mother’s shoulder. Mr. Sprague was sentenced to three consecutive terms -- a year for sexu- ally assaulting the girl, three years for the sexual exploitation of the older brother and 18 months for assaults on the younger brother. Man gets jail for sex assaults on children O’Connell wants to use computer of her choice By Danielle Milley dmilley@durhamregion.com PICKERING — New councillor Jen- nifer O’Connell dove right into the debate Jan. 8 at her first meeting of council. Ward 1 City Councillor O’Connell introduced an amendment to a recom- mendation at the executive committee meeting (the first meeting since the Nov. 13 election, aside from the inau- gural meeting where no business was discussed). When committee got to the agenda item regarding correcting potential in- equities in the council’s compensation policy dealing with RRSP contribu- tions, Coun. O’Connell introduced an amendment to make changes to the policy regarding computer hardware/ software and telecommunications equipment. The amendment doesn’t make any major changes to the policy, but there was some discussion about whether it should even be allowed to be debated as part of the RRSP issue. Mayor Dave Ryan argued the issue shouldn’t be allowed on the floor for debate since it was different than the compensation section that was dis- cussed in the report. He said the chair- man of the meeting, Ward 2 City Coun- cillor Doug Dickerson, shouldn’t allow the amendment to be debated. The vote to allow the amendment to be discussed passed. “I am simply adding clarification while the policy is on the floor,” Coun. O’Connell said. Her amendment made changes to the computer policy to reflect the new four-year term of council and to issues surrounding a councillor’s decision to buy equipment of his or her choosing. “I’m not asking for the intent to be changed,” she said, adding she was just cleaning up some discrepancies. “I believe it’s important for councillors to have the choice of equipment... I feel the changes I’ve made to the policy make it stronger.” The issue was back on the agenda at Monday’s council meeting where nearly 45 minutes were spent debating the issue, which it was revealed came about because of Coun. O’Connell’s desire to purchase a Mac computer. Wa rd 3 Regional Councillor Rick Johnson, who wasn’t at the execu- tive committee meeting, said he had no problem with a councillor being able to purchase the equipment of her choosing to do the job properly, but he did take exception to the amount of time being spent on the issue. “I’ve come back and had more time talking about this computer than the ag preserve or anything else,” he said. The policy was deferred to the coun- cil retreat scheduled for Feb. 8 and 9. Cake Decorating Construction Project Manager Creative Writing Decorating on a Dime Feng Shui Basics Guitar Techniques Income Tax Course Landscaping your Home Meditation Motorcycle Training Sewing Smart Serve Stained Glass Stock Market Investment StressSmarts®for Women Wine Savvy ...plus many more All your choices are available at www.durhamcollege.ca/coned 905.721.3052 |1.888.627.1191 looking for something fun... CONTINUING EDUCATION Name: ________________________________________________ Phone: ________________________________________________________________ Draw to be held at 8 pm Thursday, January 18, 2007 Bring in this ballot for a chance to win a pair of tickets at the Rogers Centre Event Saturday, January 20, 2007 at 7:30 pm AfterShockAfterShock MONSTER TRUCKMONSTER TRUCK COME SEECOME SEE Thursday, January 18, 2007, 4-8 PMThursday, January 18, 2007, 4-8 PM Fill out Ballot 1095 Kingston Rd., Pickering 905-420-1332 Pre-Registration for September 2007 Beginning in grade one, the Durham District School Board offers, at no additional charge to parents, a French Immersion program for non-Francophone students. To find out more about the French Immersion program, please join us at an information meeting at one of the following French Immersion schools: Cadarackque PS...................905-428-2347 Southwood Park PS.............905-683-5230 Frenchman’s Bay PS................905-839-1131 Sir J.A. Macdonald PS............905-839-1159 All French Immersion program information meetings will be held Wednesday, January 31, 2007 beginning at 7:00 p.m. For more information regarding French Immersion at the Durham District School Board, please visit us at: For more information regarding your child’s school designation, please contact our Property and Planning Department at 905-666-6434. Grade One French Immersion www.durham.edu.on.ca Durham District School Board Ajax Pickering BEFORE AFTER Average Joe’s Fitness 30-minute fi tness for men 905-686-9931 676 Monarch Ave., Unit 8 www.averagejoesfi tness.ca FOR ALL SIZES AND PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 2Year Anniversary2 Year Anniversary Open HouseOpen House Sat. Jan. 27Sat. Jan. 27 8amto12pm8 am to 12 pm BOTOX & FILLER CLINIC Sunday, January 21 at 3:30 p.m. Come and join in for some education and refreshments! No charge. No obligation. Call to reserve your spot today! BotoxCosmetic available at request - $10.00 per unit. NU VITALITY ™ MEDSPA –The Face of the Future 27 Leah Crescent, Ajax 905-626-4981 Fax: 905-683-3917 www.nuvitality.ca email: info@nuvitality.ca PA GE A4 ◆ NEWS A DVERTISER ◆ January 17, 2007P band are members of LOL. The two live on a home on the federal lands. She said when LOL met for its regu- lar meeting Tuesday night the demo- lition announcement was a topic of much debate with the meeting run- ning “much longer” than usual. Ms. Untermann did say, however, they re- ally don’t have many details about the announcement. “We’re horrified, absolutely horri- fied,” she said. “We’re enraged because we understood there was a morato- rium. “It is such a crime that the houses are disappearing. The fewer the people there are on the land, the fewer people there are to take care of the land,” she said. Since the announcement was made, Mr. Holland said he’s received some e- mails and calls from concerned mem- bers of the community. “It seems all of their concerns are being steam rolled,” he said. The demolition contract has yet to be awarded, but Ms. Fairfax said the demolition should take place in the next few months. Many of the concerns regarding the preservation of properties in Picker- ing’s north have to do with historical significance. The public notice said the subject properties were “reviewed and determined not to have federal heritage significance.” This, however, ignores any local sig- nificance, Mr. Holland said. Ms. Fairfax said “Transport Canada continues to work with the municipali- ties regarding local heritage matters. The Transport Canada Heritage Work- ing Group that assists in identifying local heritage matters is still in exis- tence.” When Ward 3 City Councillor David Pickles brought up the issue at Mon- day’s executive committee meeting, Mayor Dave Ryan said ”there is no heritage value as defined by Heritage Pickering or the Pickering Historical Society.” John Sabean of the Pickering Histor- ical Society and the heritage working group said he had not been notified of the demolitions and the working group hasn’t met for quite some time. When asked if there were any plans for future demolitions, Ms. Fairfax re- plied “as the federal custodian of the Pickering lands site, Transport Canada establishes the property management direction and makes all important de- cisions. Transport Canada will con- tinue to take responsible decisions.” Mr. Holland is concerned the demo- litions won’t end with these proper- ties. “I see this as the beginning and it could lead to complete eradication of that community,” he said. “My con- cern is where is this leading and what’s going to be left. There needs to be a ral- lying cry, people need to speak out.” New councillor gets her fe et wet over use of a Mac ✦ Group from page A1 Group angry over decision claiming moratorium was in place on demolitions Students show their robotics skills to Maxime Bernier By Crystal Crimi ccrimi@durhamregion.com DURHAM — Canada’s minister of industry checked in on the University of Ontario Institute of Technology this week. Minister Maxime Bernier, accom- panied by Oshawa MP Colin Carrie, stopped by the Durham university’s mectronics and robotics lab on Jan. 11 to talk with some students about the work they’re doing. “This is my opportunity to brag about Oshawa,” said Mr. Carrie. Earlier in the day, they visited Osha- wa’s General Motors and drove its new award-winning truck. Mr. Carrie said there have been many investments made in Oshawa and now they are getting to see how partnerships be- tween academia, industry and govern- ment are coming together. “Right here in Oshawa at UOIT, we’re giving students the training to be leaders in the future,” said Mr. Car- rie. Industry and manufacturing relies heavily on robotic technology, he said. During Mr. Bernier’s visit, students demonstrated a pick and place proj- ect, in which they controlled a robot through a computer to pick up items from a conveyor belt. “It was fun, he was really nice and friendly and cool,” said Kayla Viegas, a UOIT fourth year manufacturing en- gineer student. She said the visit made Mr. Bernier seem more human to her. It also helped humanize the school for the minister, said Adam Kraehling, another student. “Rather than him thinking of UOIT as a place, he can think I’ve actually been there,” said Michael Frejek, a fel- low student. “We’re actually doing some really cool things here,” Mr. Kraehling said. “It’s nice to see people are coming here to see.” INTERNATIONALLY TRAINED IN EDUCATION OR HEALTH CARE? E nhanced L anguage T raining 120 Centre St. S., Oshawa restartdurham.ca restartdurham.ca is for • PERMANENT RESIDENTS • CONVENTION REFUGEES • PROTECTED PERSONS •REFINE your English language skills • RECONNECT with your profession •REGAIN your confi dence through mentoring or internship in Durham Region WE WILL HELP YOU... • 8 WEEK FULL TIME DAY CLASSES • 6 WEEK MENTORING OR INTERNSHIP Ass istance wi th childcar e and transpo rtati on is availa ble for elig ible stude nts 24 s eats availab le CLASSES BEGINNING FEBRUARY 2007 www.dce.ca Durham Continuing Education For further information &-2,'%&21 IHOM ;FFIN 3FEFFNUIJTDPVQPOBU0-(4MPUTBU"KBY%PXOT8JOOFST$JSDMFGPSBCBMMPUUPFOUFSGPSZPVSDIBODF UP8*/$PVQPOWBMJEFWFSZ8FEOFTEBZCFUXFFO+BOVBSZ GSPNQNVOUJMQN 1SJ[FTJODMVEF$BTJOP/JBHBSB1BDLBHF )FMJDPQUFS5PVS1BDLBHF 4POZ¥4UPSF7PVDIFS )PDLFZ5JDLFUT J1PE 1IBOUPNPGUIF0QFSB5JDLFUT 4IPQQJOH4QSFF1BDLBHFTBU1JDLFSJOH5PXO$FOUSF I0OD©