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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, N ov em be r 11 ,2 02 1 | 10 oakville.ca NOTICE OF HERITAGE DESIGNATION On November 1, 2021, Oakville TownTownT Council resolved to pass By-law 2021-142 to designate the following property under s.29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.18, as amended, as a property of cultural heritage value and interest: Knox Presbyterian Church Sixteen and Cemetery Cultural Heritage Landscape 1150 Dundas Street West, Oakville, Ontario PCL 22-1, SEC T14; PT LTLTL 22, CON 1 TRAFALGAR, SOUTH OF DUNDAS STREET,STREET,STREET PART 1, 2, 4, 20R1938; OAKVILLE. S/T EASEMENT IN GROSS OVER PTS 2 & 3 20R16284 & PT 7 20R16495 AS IN HR485818. In accordance with s.29 (8) of the Ontario Heritage Act, any person who objects to the by-law may appeal to the Tribunal by giving the Tribunal and the clerk of the municipality,municipality,municipality within 30 days after the date of publication under this paragraph, a notice of appeal setting out the objection to the by-law and the reasons in support of the objection, accompanied by the fee charged by the Tribunal. The last date to appeal this by-law is December 13, 2021. Further information regarding this designation is available from the TownTownT of Oakville. Any inquiries may be directed to Susan Schappert, heritage planner at 905-845-6601, ext. 3870 (TTY 905-338-4200), or by email at susan.schappert@oakville.ca The Ontario government is poised to raise the province's mini- mum wage to $15 an hour next year -- a move that union leaders are calling a good start in the plight for a living wage. The proposed increase was an- nounced by Premier Doug Ford Nov. 2 in Milton, alongside Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy and Monte McNaughton, minister of labour, training and skills develop- ment. If the legislation is ultimate- ly passed, the general minimum wage will rise from $14.35 to $15 per hour effective Jan. 1, 2022. "When we asked labour leaders what their priorities were, increas- ing the minimum wage was at the top of the list," said Ford. "As the cost of living continues to go up, our government is proud to be working for workers, putting more money into their pockets by in- creasing the minimum wage." The change means that a full- time worker making general mini- mum wage could see an annual earnings increase of $1,350 in 2022, said Ford. Under the proposed changes, the special minimum wage rate for liquor servers would also be eliminated and replaced with the new $15 per hour rate. Students under 18, homework- ers and hunting, fishing and wil- derness guides would also see an increase in their special minimum wage rates. "An incredible debt of gratitude is owed to the workers of Ontario. These dedicated men and women kept store shelves stocked and sup- ply chains going through the pan- demic," said Bethlenfalvy. "However, we also recognize that for too long, workers have been falling behind, and that wag- es for many have not kept up with the cost of living. They had Onta- rio's back, and now, our govern- ment has theirs." During the press conference, Unifor national president Jerry Di- as said not only will 760,000-plus minimum wage earners across the province see a pay increase, but tens of thousands of unionized workers in the grocery store indus- try will also benefit as a result of clauses in their collective agree- ment. He recognized that the new pay rate falls short of what's consid- ered a living wage in the province. "That's why we're saying and recognizing that today is a good start, because there's still so much work to do," said Dias. "But any- time that we can increase the mini- mum wage to $15 an hour -- which we know the majority of minimum wage workers in this province are women -- it's a day in which to rec- ognize that things are moving in the right direction." But the news isn't necessarily being welcomed across the board. A statement issued by the Canadi- an Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) urges the govern- ment to reconsider the timing of its proposal, contending that many businesses are still not making normal sales while also dealing with other cost increases, supply chain issues and pandemic-related debt loads. "The Ontario government's sur- prise decision to increase the mini- mum wage without consultation comes at the worst possible time for small businesses," says thefor small businesses," says thef statement signed by CFIB top exec- utives. "It is particularly concerning that the government has chosen to give restaurants -- one of the hard- est-hit and longest-shuttered sec- tors during the pandemic -- 60 days' notice of a 20 per cent in- crease ($2.45) to the liquor servers' wage." The CFIB is now calling on the Ford government to conduct anFord government to conduct anF economic impact analysis and con- sult with the small business com- munity on the best path forward, potential cost offsets and mitiga- tion strategies. NDP leader Andrea Horwath criticized the Ford gov- ernment for calling off the Liber- al's plans for a $15 minimum wage three years ago. "The cost of everything has sky- rocketed since then -- like hous- ing, auto insurance, food and gas -- and $15 an hour isn't nearly enough anymore," she said. "Work- ers need a bare minimum of $17 an hour to cover the cost of living." FORD ANNOUNCES MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE Doug Ford announces his intention to raise minimum wage at a press conference in Milton. Ontario government YouTube photo MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@metroland.com NEWS November is Woman Abuse Prevention Month. The annual campaign is a month-long recognition on the is- sue of abuse against women across Ontario. Organizations around the province, including here in Halton, will be holding events and showing their support for addressing the problem. Here are four things you should know about Woman Abuse Pre- vention Month. 1. Statistics tell the tale According to the Halton Wom- en's Place, at least half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since they have turned 16, and on average every six days a woman is murdered by her intimate partner. 2. Purple is the colour of cour- age The purple scarf has been used as a symbol of the bravery it takes for a woman to leave her abuser.for a woman to leave her abuser.f Purple flags will be flying at all town and city halls across the re- gion to show support. Police head- quarters will be turning on their purple lights and everyone is en- couraged to wear purple on Nov. 15. 3. Worldwide recognition for a problem that crosses borders Nov. 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violencefor the Elimination of Violencef against Women. The United Na- tions reports that all types of vio- lence against women have in- creased since the start of the CO- VID-19 pandemic. 4. The answer requires commu- nity-wide support Halton Women's Place has launched its Lottery of Hope Cam- paign. By purchasing tickets, par- ticipants can show their support for the only women's shelter infor the only women's shelter inf Halton and help in preventing and ending violence against women. As the jackpot grows, so does the support for women and children experiencing violence and abuse. Tickets for the lottery can be purchased at www.hwp5050.ca un- til Dec. 14 -- with the final draw happening on Dec. 15 at noon. There will also be an early bird draw on Nov. 15. FOUR THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT WOMEN ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH ROLAND CILLIERS rcilliers@metroland.com