HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-03-08, Page 1Lord's Prayer
still issue
at school bd.
The feelings presented by a
representative of a delegation of
parents from Howick Township
brought many questions and con
cerns to the fore surrounding the
issue of the removal of the Lord’s
Prayer from the schools, at the
Huron County Board of Education
(HCBE) meeting held Monday in
Clinton.
According to Ray Dykstra it was
the concensus of the delegates that
the issue is much broader than
removal of The Lord's Prayer.
“Our society is in danger of
compromising away our most im
portant absolute,” read Mr. Dyk
stra from a letter to the Board. He
also observed that Canadians have
become a tolerant society because
our ancestors sought to make this a
Christian society.
Mr. Dykstra and the delegation
said that when we pray the Lord's
Prayer in our schools it proclaims a
basic Christian truth to children.
“We are in subjection to a Holy
God who supplies us with our
needs and who alone can forgive
our sins.” Mr. Dykstra continued,
“When we give equal time to other
religions we have just demoted
Christ from being Almighty God to
being a good example.”
Mr. Dykstra summed up his
letter by expressing his feelings
that the issue is not the change in
the opening exercises but who we
tell our children Christ is - “our
God and Saviour or a bastard
child.”
In response to Mr. Dykstra,
Chair John Jewitt remarked that
the decisions made were made by
the court of the land. Therefore,
any decisions that the Board will
reach will attempt to meet the
needs of the community and the
laws of the court. The Board must
live with the decision of the law or
be held in contempt.
Mr. Jewitt further noted that at
this time there was no procedure
for parental input that he was
aware of. The decision, right or
wrong, ultimately rests with the
Board.
Trustee Tony McQuail suggested
Continued on page 8
VOL. 6 NO. 10 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 1989.45 CENTS
Four year old Kendall Jutzi of Cypress Street in Brussels demonstrates the fun way to eat spaghetti. Kendall and her
parents, Gerry and Julie were among those who attended the first annual Pasta Sunday sponsored by the Knights of
Columbus at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre last Sunday.
Teachers
get 5%
pay increase
Huron County Elementary tea
chers and the Huron County Board
of Education have agreed to a new
two-year Collective Agreement re
troactive to September 1, 1988. The
teachers ratified the tentative
settlement on February 21 and the
Board agreed on Monday.
The new agreement will provide
each teacher with 120 minutes of
preparation time a week. This time
is used by teachers to plan indivi
dual children’s programmes and
toconsultwith parents and other
teachers.
The new agreement also contains
a maximum class size clause which
limits the number of children in
each classroom to: 25 children in
Kindergarten; 29 children in pri
mary; 33 children in junior; 35
children in intermediate.
The average wage increase will
be approximately five per cent per
year in a two year agreement. For
example, a teacher with a univer
sity degree who is at the top level
and has no experience will receive
an increase to $30,693.00 from
their ‘87 salary of $26,430.00. Any
teacher with the same qualifica
tions but with more than 10 years
teaching experience will move up
from ‘87’s contract amount of
$50,100.00 to $55,500.00. Princi
pals wages will increase by the
beginning of September 1989 by
$10,850.00 over the normal in
crease.
Brussels plans economic development strategy
Brussels will become the second
village in Huron County to under
take an economic development
strategy after village council
agreed Monday night to accept the
offer of the Huron County Planning
and Development Department to
initiate the study.
The study will assess the
strengths and weaknesses of the
village in terms of economic
deselopment, then set out a five-
year plan to build on the strengths
and work to remedy the weakness
es. It could be completed in as
short a time as a year or could take
up to three years depending on the
speed the local economic develop
ment committee (likely a combina
tion of the current Brussels and
Grey Industrial Committee and
other interested volunteers) wants
to work at, Wayne Caldwell, senior
planner with the Planning and
Development office said Monday
night. He said that a local woman,
Rose Marks, currently a third year
geography student, has been hired
to gather the information needed
for the study.
Mr. Caldwell said the entire
project would likely cost between
$20,000 and $30,000 with the
village picking up only $122 a week
for nine weeks towards the stu
dent’s salary.
Hensall is the only municipality
in Huron to have completed an
economic development strategy
and is one of the few in the
province to have such a project,
Mr. Caldwell said. That five-year
plan identified everything from
improvements needed in services
to a “Hensall Hamper” welcoming
service for new residents.
It is more important to identify
small goals that can be achieved
and make things happen than just
go out and try recruit industry, Mr.
Caldwell said.
The study will look at potential
growih sources such as the number
of people moving to the village but
commuting to work in Kitchener,
Waterloo and Guelph.
Mr. Caldwell said Brussels was
chosen for the project because in
long-term planning, his depart
ment would like to look at develop
ment in three areas: the north,
centra! and southern parts of the
county and the lakeshore area. The
northern portion, including Brus
sels and Wingham, has potential
for new initiatives, he said.
However, he assured council, the
decision as to whether or not the
village wanted to be part of such a
project was up to the local council.
If Brussels didn’t want to take part,
the student could work elsewhere.
He indicated that Blyth, Tucker
smith, Vanastra and Clinton were
all interested in starting such a
study.
It would take commitment on the
part of the local committee to make
the project work, he said. “If we
simply give it (the strategy) to you
it will never be implemented.” The
Opportunity Tour last fall showed
there was a good deal of interest in
economic development, he said.
After some initial reluctance to
commit themselves without more
thought, council decided to support
the study. “We have to do some
thing in this line,” Reeve Gordon
Workman said. “If we don’t we’re
going to get involved in too many
projects and get into trouble.”
Under such a plan, he noted, a
timetable would be set out with the
goals to be accomplished each year
and the council would stick to that,
not running off in an unco-ordinat
ed manner.
Councillor Bruce Hahn was not
easily convinced saying he thought
the County department had things
backward, hiring staff when there
was no project then coming to the
village to propose a project. He
Continued on page 8