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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1990-11-07, Page 6Winning skaters Brussels Skate-a-thon took place on Saturday with several youngsters winning prizes. Prize winners are: (from left, back row) Jacquie Seili, tied for oldest girl; Jay Hahn, oldest boy; Shannon Craig, oldest girl; (front) Brandon Blake, boy with most pledges; Nicole Mastnak, girl with most pledges; Todd Armstrong, youngest boy. Absent was Melissa Souch, youngest girl. Bd. of Education looks at future Letters Canada Post replies A special planning meeting of the Huron County Bodrd of Educa tion was held on October 29 to discuss future aspirations and try to develop alternatives with mini mal impact on ratepayers or stu dents. A primary concern of all the committees was to find a way to keep the budget for next year within reach for the county tax payer. One possible solution, it was decided, may be found in cutting extra programs, like night school, summer school, adult day school and alternate education for stu dents who find regular school too difficult. Don McDonald said the board should assess these programs and see if. they are worth the dollars being spent. “It is not responsible for a board to be spending money and not really, understand where that money is going,’’ he said. “To offer more programs when there is not enough money is irresponsible. We are looking at a recession for the next five years and the rural people are just not making ends meet now.’’ “The thread I see running through this is cost,’’ said Norm Pickell. “How much more can taxpayers shell out? We knew we had it rough when we set this year’s budget. Well, next year is going to be even worse.’’ “Agriculture is in bad shape,’’ said Mr. McDonald. “There’s a limit to what the people can pay.’’ He also pointed out That govern ment grants are uncertain and limited in their usefulness. Grants are fine, he said, but, it is still the taxpayer who has to pay the remaining 20 or 30 per cent. “If they can’t do it, what good is it?’’ “Well, it’s important to remem ber who pays the grants,” added Mr. Pickell. “We’re paying them too. They’re not coming from some gold mine under Queen’s Park.” Chair Joan Van den Broeck questioned the board on what they were prepared to do. “In essence our decision here is commiting us to the future.” Mr. Pickell re sponded saying he would like to see the board attempt to keep the increase in next year’s budget to a single digit figure. “You've got to remember who’s paying the bill.” Rick Rompf, chairman of the Management Committee noted however that the board would have to commit to a zero percent increase to do that. “The provincial mill rate is up 8.1, the assessment growth is 4.2 and the county’s increase is 1.3 per cent. This brings the increase now to 9.3 per cent.” He did say that he and his committee felt that by shuffling funds from capitol projects to routine maintenance they could keep their portion of the budget down. Paul Carroll, Superintendnet of Operations for HCBE said that the board should realize that it isn’t their expenditures that are out of control. With the projected increase in enrollment the problem of over crowding in the schools was ad dressed as well. There was discus sion about debenturing funds for the construction of school addi tions, however, most trustees felt it should be done if necessary. John Jewitt said that perhaps the board had set their sights a little too high and should look at less costly additions than those done in the last two years. “We are not committed to permanent struc tures,” he said. “1 believe we thought it was a good idea at the time, but we’re finding the cost too great, compared to portables.” Should enrollment level off or decline as anticipated after the increase, Mr. Jewitt stresses that the board had “better be careful where we put permanent struc tures.” The possibility of adjusting school boundaries to accommodate areas of over-crowding was men tioned but trustees agreed they wanted public input before pro ceeding. Audrey McClennan suggested that the board begin by having an evaluation done on the programs Mabel’s Continued from page 4 wondered. “The English and French have been getting along fine for a few hundred years with the channel keeping them apart. Meanwhile we’ve had English and French in one country and we’ve been fighting for years. Maybe we should be digging a big ditch between us.” FRIDAY: Hank said it’s so nice to hear that Michael Wilson under stands the pain Canadians are going through in the recession. Back 17 years ago, Mr. Wilson got caught in a downturn and had to take a pay cut as head of a Bay Street investment company and he wasn’t making more than $100,000 a year at the time. “And we have the nerve to complain after such hardship,” Hank said. offered out of the core curriculum. Mr. Pickell agreed. “Some of these programs maybe aren’t costing us anything or very little so cutting them doesn’t save. Some things may not be feasible but we’ve got to explore everything.” Because wife assault usually happens at home, people tend to think of it as a family affair. But wife assault is not a private matter. It is a crime. As a community we should all be concerned. For emergency assistance or referral, call the Wife Assault Helpline, listed in the white pages of your telephone directory or call the police. Ontario Women’s Directorate ® Ontario WIFE ASSAULT IS AGAINST THE LAW. Continued from page 5 customers in communities serviced by privately-operated retail postal outlets are overwhelmingly satis fied with the service. In a Gallop market survey conducted in May, 1989, 97 per cent of residents expressed overall satisfaction with retail postal services. This survey result was the same as one conduc ted in 1988 by Decima Research. Since 1989 April, Canada Post has provided a net increase of 1.1. million additional hours of access to the rural postal network. During 1989-90 alone, there was a net increase of 320 full-service retail outlets in rural Canada. Postal service has been provided by local businesses for over 100 years. Canada Post is simply continuing this very successful tradition. After all, our priority is service to our customers. Being responsive to their needs is mutually beneficial. Tom Creech Medial Relations Officer Canada Post. Community support appreciated THE EDITOR, This past week we’ve realized the togetherness of a small com munity, the rallying around of friends and neighbours, and the closeness of our minister. When going to Carleton Place we were given two envelopes of money donations and since coming home there has been a lot more money come by mail. We just can’t thank everyone enough. Parents and grandparents, please, please drill into your child ren the dangers of playing with lighter and matches. Fire seems to fascinate youngsters of all ages. This can’t bring back Brandon and Collin but if I can save one child from such a tragedy, it’ll help the burden. Our son is badly burned, another few seconds and he wouldn’t be here. He said “Mom, when you can smell your own flesh burning, your hair and eyebrows, it’s sure hot. Thanks again. Lois Whittard Brussels. Remembering Brussels days THE EDITOR, It was great to read all the newsy items in the October 17 issue. I look forward to receiving my paper and particularly the local personal happenings. Especially now I’m living in Kitchener, and no longer affiliated with the Citizen as a Director. I enjoyed my seven years in the village, thanks for the opportunity to serve. Barbara Brown Kitchener. GETCASH! Sell Anythng With WANTADS