HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-09-23, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2010.Legion asks for help
Costs still in question The Sound of Music
Hilary McPherson, along with Bill Seymour on the keyboard, performed “The Sound of Music”
at the eighth annual remembrance service at the Blyth Greenway Memory Garden on Sunday.
Reverend Perry Chuipka, right, officiated the service. (Vicky Bremner photo)
THE EDITOR,The Wingham Royal CanadianLegion Branch 180 needs your help.
I’m writing this as an open letter in
the local newspapers covering the
surrounding area about the situation
at Legion Branch 180.
About one month ago, I wrote a
very passionate plea in a local
newspaper, for help for the
Wingham Legion. In the last couple
of years, the support in our Branch
has dwindled, both financially and
physically. Due to this and other
(unexpected) expenses we have
incurred lately, we are asking for
your help. It is redundant to say that
we need to reverse the current trend
OR we will not have Legion that
has Thursday Nite Jams, Saturday
Night Entertainment, Wing Nites,
etc. Our local town and surrounding
area along with minor hockey, Air
Cadets and minor athletics will all
feel the loss.
This great need has prompted the
Legion executive over the last
month, to prepare for our special
“Fundraising Night” to be held on
Friday, Sept. 24. Starting from 6
p.m. to 8 p.m. is our “Famous WingNite”. This will be followed by adance from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. to the
music of our Legion House Band
“No Expectations”. Terry, Carol,
Zoomer and Gord are all donating
their talents (?) as their donation
towards helping the Legion. There is
no set admission charge, however
we will be accepting donations. As I
have mentioned in the past issues,
“Reach for the Wallet … Give from
the Heart”.
We are hoping a record number of
members, along with their friends,
who are all concerned with the
future of our Branch, will come out
and generously make a donation at
the door. You may have other plans,
but please take the time to stop at the
Legion and make a donation
anyway. Comrades, we need to keep
our Legion strong to meet our
commitments. First to our veterans
and to our community at large. Mark
Sept. 24 on your calendar for an
evening of great wings and good
music.
Gord Kaster
Wingham Legion Executive.
THE EDITOR,
For the past two weeks, editorials
entitled “An Extra School Tax” and
“Be Careful there, Dalton”, have
finally addressed the issues of
influence and how things get
manipulated. And to top that,The
Citizen quoted Avon Maitland
District School Board (AMDSB)
trustee Colleen Schenk as expressing
“frustration” with the Ontario
Municipal Board (OMB) process,
suggesting “a huge flaw” in
legislation that allows for “anyone
with $125 to derail the whole
proposal”. Anyone, indeed.
There’s a smorgasbord of issues to
comment on, and so little time.
But let me give it a go, and start
with comments attributed to Ms.
Schenk (The Citizen, Sept. 9, 2010),
AMDSB Trustee and the apparent
basis for her decision to run again
for School Trustee in North Huron.
The “anyone” to whom she referred,
was a taxpayer, stepping up to
challenge one of many reckless and
expensive decisions made by this
administrative body – one
empowered (actually entrusted) with
the education needs of our children.
This “anyone” taxpayer, I suspect,
happens to be someone with
significant skin in the game as it
applies to his/her property value
impacted by the AMDSB decision.
I agree with Ms Schenk, if the
remarks attributed to her are correct,
that there is indeed “a huge flaw” in
legislation; but not the one to which
she alludes. When a group can
influence the economic vitality of a
community and not be held
accountable for their decisions, there
is a HUGE flaw in the system. One
that needs legislated remedy.
I noted the irony of this candidacy
announcement and that of the
Belgrave, Blyth, Brussels 90th
School Fair announcement.
We’re taught that democracy is a
system of government, influenced
and directed by the people, and it is
a system of checks and balances; one
seemingly ignored by the
Accommodation Review Committee
process and its ministerial
guidelines. One wonders if the
trustees would make the same
decisions, if they were held
financially accountable for the
outcome of the decisions they make
– somewhat like the fiduciary
responsibility and accountability
standards of directors in a
corporation, for example. We, as
shareholders in our education
system, should expect no less.
But the question is still out there,
is the cost of the school $8.8 million,
$11.6 million, $12.6 million? Or
does anyone really know? What is
the all-in cost of this school? And
what will this school deliver in
educational experience, that a more
prudent allocation of people and
limited financial resources could
have?
The editorial, “An Extra School
Tax” citing 74 AMDSB employees
on the Sunshine List causes one to
wonder about the trustees’ attention
to the expense controls in the system
under their watch. I’ve often
wondered how many provincial
employees fall just below the
Sunshine List threshold of $100,000
which must be publicly reported.
One wonders how this contributes to
the positive education experience of
students.
Which leads me to the editorial
entitled, “Be Careful there, Dalton”.
While we’re about to spend $8.8
million, $11.6 million or $12.6
million (pick one) on a “super
school”, let’s ask ourselves what it’s
actually going to cost taxpayers of
North Huron. Money was found for
a “super school” but the cupboard
was bare for minor repairs to
seemingly perfectly good facilities –
at least they seemed perfectly good
until they started to be ignored.
On the provincial level, one could
summarize the delayed review of the
Local Health Integration Networks
(LHINs) (the agency empowered to
close community hospitals) until
Letters to the Editor
Continued on page 7