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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-04-19, Page 6A veteran trustee of the Avon Maitland District School Board took her insight and open mind to Saskatoon last month, to attend an annual conference tackling issues faced by predominantly rural school boards. Colleen Schenk of Wingham, in her role as regional vice president with the Ontario Public School Boards Association (OPSBA), traveled to Saskatchewan in late March for the 12th National Congress on Rural Education. It was her first time attending the conference, and she plans to provide fellow Avon Maitland trustees with a full report at their next meeting. Speaking to reporters following a meeting Tuesday, April 10, the one-time Avon Maitland chair explained the Saskatchewan school system is currently in the process of amalgamating smaller boards into larger ones covering more territory. Ontario school boards went through a similar process in 1999, so Schenk says she was able to provide insight for the Prairie administrators. In other respects, however, many of the conference’s participants were asking the same questions, and few of the answers were immediately apparent. “Generally, across Canada, accommodation issues are popping up everywhere,” Schenk said. She added there seemed to be a broad recognition that the closure of schools will have to be part of the solution in most regions. Coming as it did a couple of weeks after Statistics Canada released its analysis of the 2006 nationwide census, the conference was a venue for discussion about how declining rural population will affect schools. “Definitely, the whole of the country is in a situation of declining enrolment, other than areas where there’s a lot of immigration,” Schenk said. Huron County as a whole recorded a 0.6 per cent decline in population between 2001 and 2006. And rural portions of Perth County also faced declines, including West Perth’s 3.2 per cent drop in population over five years. When asked if any particular solutions were explored for keeping small, rural schools open, Schenk said there are no sure-fire strategies. The key, she suggested, is “creating an environment” where smaller schools are more attractive for prospective students and perceived as valuable to the surrounding community. “Whether or not that’s do- able or not is another story,” she said. PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2007.Letter to the editorNot just an Inconvenient Truth, says writerTHE EDITOR,I attended the InconvenientTruth presentation organized by the Lake Huron Learning Collaborative in Goderich this Sunday. While the news of global climate change is deeply disturbing I was very encouraged to see the crowd and the interest and concern that is developing. I believe that climate change, environmental degradation and peak oil are converging in a way that will be a great challenge to our society but also a great opportunity if wetake it. The solution to allthree challenges is the same. Reduce our energy and resource consumption substantially and do it sooner than later. The good news is that we really can. I have been interested in sustainability and renewable energy for nearly 40 years and we have made many changes to reduce our farm and family energy use. They haven’t all worked as well as we would have liked, but our bank accounts have been richer and our livesfuller for the choices we’vemade to conserve energy and reduce our burden on our environment and planetary home. At the individual level we can put in compact florescent bulbs, insulate and weather strip, turn the thermostat up or down depending on the season and we can plant a garden and buy local food. We can drive smaller cars, we can car pool, we can share tools and time with neighbours and friends and we can redesign our lives andcommitments so we can walk,bike and ski to more of the important places in our lives. At the community level we can support renewable energy projects. We can reduce our municipal water and energy use for the services we supply. We can develop community projects to retrofit our buildings and coordinate transportation to facilitate car pooling. We can develop local co-generation and district heating systems using local biomass resources.At the provincial andnational levels we can stop subsidizing pollution and the fossil fuel industry. We can get serious about encouraging the energy efficiency, conservation and renewable energy sectors. We can set standards for car mileage, carbon emissions, reusability of packaging and full cost and life-cycle accounting so that we don’t encourage externalizing costs to our environment, general public and our descendants. We canwork with other countriesboth by sharing technologies and ideas and by achieving international agreements for reducing pollution and energy use. We have an incredible opportunity to strengthen our local communities and build a better world in the face of what is not simply an Inconvenient Truth but also an unavoidable one. Let’s not blow it. Tony McQuail Following a closed session at their April 3 meeting, Morris-Turnberry councillors voted to defer a zoning change for properties in Turnberry Estates. The special provisions in the amendment established a minimum separation distance between units of four metres, with the distance between a garage or carport and a neighbouring mobile home unit being reduced to a minimum of 1.2 metres. All existing structures would be deemed to comply. But some visitors in attendance were not pleased with the proposal. Bruce Linkletter, representing his mother, complained about a carport that was constructed in September on a neighbouring unit that is only 39 inches from her house. The view from her window was blocked, he said, and he was concerned about fire safety and drainage issues. Several councillors also commented on various aspects of the proposal. After adjourning the public meeting regarding the planning amendment, council adjourned the regular council meeting and went into committee of the whole. On returning to the open council session it was moved by councillors Mark Beaven and Paul Gowing that the bylaw be deferred pending further information. A meeting is to be set up with the property owner, chief building official Jeff Layton, Nancy Michie, administrator clerk treasurer and Sandra Weber from the Huron County planning department. There wasn’t nearly as much controversy as councillors passed a zoning bylaw amendment to include the province’s latest minimum distance setbacks for new and expanding livestock facilities. Also quietly passed was a zoning amendment for part of the south half of lot 26, concession two, Morris ward from general agriculture and agricultural small holding to agricultural small holding with special provisions. The change enlarges the existing lot and adjusts the lot boundary to ensure the existing residence is entirely on the lot. THE EDITOR, Everyone is invited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Seaforth and District All Girls Marching Band on Saturday, June 9 at Seaforth Public School. Countless area elementary and high school girls have belonged to the band since George Hildebrand began directing in 1953. Charles Kalbfleisch began directing in 1978 and is still leading the band along with assistant director Shauna Breen, Belleville. Bring your family and friends and come out to a day of fun and memories of 50 years of travels, friendships and music. Free registration for Band alumni begins at 11 a.m. There will be a silent auction from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Lunch will be available to purchase. Come and enjoy a piece of cake (free) with us. A day of fun is planned, with games and face painting for kids. There will be a parade for all present and past members at 2 p.m. Come see the memory wall. For more information e- mail: seaforthgirlsband@hotmail.c om or call Sharon 519-525- 3924 or Penny 519-524-9306. Hope to see you there. Penny Breen Seaforth and District All Girls Marching Band. Schenk says enrolment declining at schools across the country Production Insurance Requirement Starting in 2007, agricultural producers, who are unable to seed commercial crops due to excess moisture and/or spring flooding, may be eligible for financial assistance through the Cover Crop Protection Program (CCPP). To be eligible for CCPP, producers must be enrolled in production insurance. Information on production insurance, provincial application deadlines and how to enroll can be obtained by calling your provincial crop insurance agency. The recently enhanced production insurance programs offer additional assistance to producers who are affected by excess moisture and/or spring flooding. Details of the 2007 CCPP are being finalized and will be announced shortly. For more information on CCPP and other management practices to reduce soil erosion call 1 800 667-8567 or visit www.agr.gc.ca/ccpp 2007 Cover Crop Protection Program Letter Girls band marks 50thBy Stew Slater Special to The Citizen Morris-Turnberry delays zoning change BE A FACE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER BECAUSE CANCER IS IN YOUR COMMUNITY, SO ARE WE. Your donation is needed to fund life-saving cancer research and vital support services for people living with cancer. Please give generously when a Canadian Cancer Society volunteer knocks at your door this April. www.cancer.ca HELP US MAKE CANCER HISTORY.