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Inside
Year 142, Issue 24
Thursday, December 20, 2012 • 36 pages
www.yourottawaregion.com
Teachers hit the pavement in protest Steve Newman steve.newman@metroland.com
Proud Renfrewite Jennifer Walls hits the stage in Toronto in January. – Page 2 –
Merry Christmas. See our annual Christmas greetings supplement inside.
Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MP Gallant went to Calabogie Peaks bearing a gift Saturday. – Page 15 –
The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario one-day rotating strikes touched down in Renfrew County last Thursday (Dec. 13), but this wonʼt be the last time ETFO or the Ontario Secondary School Teachersʼ Federation members speak out against Bill 115. ETFO local president Allison Ryan and Ontario president Sam Hammond were among officials who made the rounds to support their members and make themselves visible to the general public and the media at 14 locations in the county. About 600 ETFO-member teachers, educational assistants, school support counsellors and occasional teachers took part in the protest. Ryanʼs four-stop day began at Walter Zadow Public School in Arnprior, where striking teachers were greeted by many honks and thumbsup from passing drivers. The tour continued at Queen Elizabeth and Central public schools in Renfrew, while other officials visited Renfrew Collegiate Intermediate School and Cobden Public School where teachers were also picketing. As a result of the one-day strike, the Renfrew County District School Board closed all of its elementary schools. “Weʼre happy to be standing up for our rights. We donʼt want to be here (picketing), but we donʼt want to see a collective agreement imposed upon us,” said Ryan, referring to the bill that the Ontario legislature passed in September. “What Bill 115 did was take away our democratic right to negotiate collective agreements freely with our employer,” she added. “Unfortunately, thereʼs a
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misconception in the public that this is about money. This isnʼt about money. This is about our rights, and the fact Bill 115 puts our government above the law and takes our rights away.” Ryan, who has been a teacher for 12 years, said, “Our biggest concern is that collective bargaining with our employer hasnʼt been allowed to happen. Bill 115 came out and said youʼre going to negotiate under these parameters, and these are the only parameters that you have. And those things do include our wages, our sick leave, our benefits, but itʼs about more than that. Itʼs about the loss of our ability to negotiate.” Queen Elizabeth Public School teachers echoed those sentiments. Kaia Paddock, whose mother Lila was the ETFO local president for more than a decade, said she was on the picket line “to tell the government that Iʼm not happy theyʼre taking away my rights to collective bargaining, and that we put students first. “I put my (own two) children first and my students by teaching them to fight, and not to be bullied, by the government.” Queen Elizabeth Public School teachers carried placards with the StopBill115.ca website below the words: “If you work in Ontario, this is your fight.” Other placards read: “Negotiate, donʼt legislate,” or “Respect collective bargaining rights.” Striking teacher Jenifer Wroe said, “Weʼre out here so the bill can be repealed. Itʼs not about all the stuff weʼre hearing.” Colleague Anne Lefebvre said: “The fight is about democracy, and nothing else.” See TEACHERS, Page 2
STEVE NEWMAN/METROLAND
Striking teachers walking along Veterans Memorial Boulevard, next to Queen Elizabeth Public School, include Jennifer Wroe (left) and Anne Lefebvre.
Charges laid in murder of Barrhaven man A 29-year-old Ottawa man has been charged with murder after human remains were found in Renfrew County in November. The victim, 28-year-old Fouad Nayel of Barrhaven, was reported missing to the Ottawa police by family members on June 18. His vehicle was later recovered by police. The OPP and the Ottawa police departmentʼs joint investigative team executed two search warrants on Dec. 12 in Ottawa, arresting Adam Picard, 29, of Orleans. The
joint investigation is continuing. BODY FOUND
Nayel went missing in June and his car was found in September. The murder case was opened on Nov. 11, when members of the Renfrew County detachment of the OPP responded to a call reporting the discovery of human remains in a wooded area near Norton Road in the Township of Greater Madawaska.
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A post mortem conducted on Nov. 14 in Toronto determined the remains were those of Nayel and that foul play was involved. Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact the Renfrew OPP crime unit at 613-432-3211 or Ottawa police at 613-2361222. Callers who wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-2228477, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.
From Our Family To Yours We Wish All Our Valued Customers A Very Merry Christmas And Happy New Year, We Look Forward To The Start Of Our 96th Year Of Serving Renfrew And The Ottawa Valley Once Again. R0011824508
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