January 12, 2013

Page 1

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01 | 12 | 2013 VOLUME 18 | ISSUE 02

TAKING THEIR RINGETTE GAME INTERNATIONAL SPORTS PAGE 11

COMMENT PAGE 8

LRT SCHEME REQUIRES ACCOUNTABILITY BEFORE A NAME

Extracurricular activities still on hold as elementary students return to class

www.OBSERVERXTRA.com

Casino opponents press Woolwich to say no to OLG

WINTER FALLS VICTIM TO MILD TREND

Decision on whether Woolwich Township is interested in gaming facility expected in February

WILL SLOAN Elementary school teachers in Woolwich and Wellesley went back to work this week, but throughout Waterloo Region, students’ extracurricular activities did not return with them, and strike activity loomed on Friday. After the provincial government and Ontario teachers unions failed to reach a contract agreement by December 31, the province used its controversial Bill 115 to impose contracts on the teachers. The new contracts, which took effect on January 3, freeze wages and eliminate the banking of sick days. With the right to strike limited to one-day walkouts, Waterloo Region’s teachers have joined with others in the province in removing extracurricular activities. “The reality is, there isn’t anything else for people to look for to have a meaningful impact,” said Greg Weiler, president of the Waterloo Region branch of the Elementary Teacher’s Federation of Ontario. “The unfortunate thing is, no one wants to do anything that has a negative impact on anyone – that’s basic human nature, especially for teachers, more so than any other group as a whole, because STRIKE | 2

STEVE KANNON

Elmira’s Kaitlyn, 11, and Justin Read, 13, enjoy their giant snowman while they can, as rising temperatures put an end to last week’s wintry conditions. [ELENA MAYSTRUK / THE OBSERVER]

Still weeks away from making a decision whether or not Woolwich is interested in hosting a casino, Woolwich councillors got an emphatic “no” Tuesday night from a small group of residents, many of them familiar faces from the previous gambling debate a decade ago. Calling themselves Woolwich Concerned Citizens Against Gambling, they asked councillors to take a pass on an Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) proposal that would put the township in the running for a new casino. The OLG is seeking municipalities willing to host a new facility under its plan to modernize gaming in the province. Woolwich is part of a newly-created gaming zone, which also includes Kitchener, Waterloo, Wilmot Township and parts of Cambridge and Wellington

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County. To date, Cambridge is the sole municipality to turn down the offer. The speakers out January 8 detailed the negatives, largely stressing the ramifications of problem gambling and the resultant social impacts. For Clint Rohr, accepting a casino in the township would be tantamount to sacrificing people for money. As with some of the others from the group, he said he’d personally pay higher taxes rather than see gambling in Woolwich. Pointing to the region’s manufacturing history and its universities and colleges, Larry Martin argued that hard work and education build an economy, not luck. Gambling, he said, is contrary to the community’s values. “Why engage in an activity that doesn’t support healthy communities?” CASINO | 2

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January 12, 2013 by Woolwich Observer - Issuu