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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-02-17, Page 6Heritage ci Weel4 BLYTH PRINTING BLYTH 523-9211 WEBSTER'S Clothing & Footwear Heritage BLYTH 523-9709 PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1993. Reader commends trustees on JK stand Letters THE EDITOR, The trustees of the Huron County Board of Education deserve a big pat on the back for soundly defeating a motion to introduce Junior Kindergarten in four schools this fall. Most of the trustees stood up to their convictions and would not be bullied by our N.D.P. government in Toronto, which is determined to impose unwanted, unneeded ideas throughout this province. By defeating this motion, trustees did what they were elected for — they represented the majority of the taxpayers who voted for them. Some of the trustees who voted for J.K. believe this program has merit. That may be, at least partly, a valid reason for considering J.K. However, there is little doubt that the majority of the taxpayers they represent do not want J.K. We need courageous trustees to continue the battle against the dictators at the Ministry of Education. Most of our trustees did demonstrate courage and they deserve our support! There are several concerns which remain. Even though J.K. is defeated in Huron- for now- I can't help but be upset at the amount of work that has already gone into preparing for J.K. in Huron County. In spite of trustees' opposition, plans were drawn up for every school in the county to have J.K. by 1996. The Board applied for grants for renovations at certain schools so there would be room for J.K. In site of the amount of time spent preparing for J.K. little has been done to determine whether there is a local need or desire for J.K. Yes, there was a study conducted in Clinton two years ago. So, even though there apparently were those in Clinton who wanted J.K., schools there were not among the first scheduled to receive J.K. Another area of concern for me is the projection of 85 per cent of eligible J.K. students being enrolled. This figure was received from the Huron-Perth Roman Catholic School Board and their experience. Perhaps my biggest frustration has been the apathy of the taxpayers in this county. Most people I have talked to oppose J.K., but few have taken time to discuss their feelings with their trustee. One trustee told me he has not received a single phone call from a taxpayer for or against J.K. Surprisingly, this trustee represents an urban area where, according to some, there is a great need and desire for J.K. Please, take some time — a few minutes — to express your feelings to your elected representatives. Then, perhaps, the few who do won't be so readily identified as — disturbers. If you recall, they told us at election time they would be eager to hear from us. Let's take them seriously. Now, to end on a positive note, I have another tidbit of good news. I have personally been assured by Caroline DiGiovanni, a policy advisor at Minister of Education Tony Silipo's office that school boards which do not implement J.K. before it becomes law will not be penalized. This means that should J.K. be forced upon the Huron Board in September 1994, they will be given the same start up costs as those boards which chose to be more careless with taxpayer's money and have already started J.K. Remember to give your trustee a phone call, right now if you can. They will be delighted to know that they have made the right decision. Allan Dettweiler Sunshine. THE EDITOR, We wish to honour the passing of a valuable member of your community, Mr. Clif Apel. Clif Apel worked as a volunteer driver for the Children's Aid Society of Huron County for 11 years. His efforts, and those of his wife Marina, on behalf of the children of our county were very special. Clif drove over 60,000 kilometres for us transporting children to and from doctor's appointments, to camp, to counselling sessions and for many other reasons. Clif and Marina made a special team with Clif driving and Marina navigating and caring for the many children temporarily in their care. Their dedication and willingness to travel at a moment's notice made them favourites of staff, foster parents and children alike. Clif's smiling face and happy outlook made many children smile, even in the toughest of situations. Volunteers are often the unsung heroes in any community. In this case we wanted to insure that Clif and Marina Apel receive the credit due them for their wonderful work on behalf of the children. We will all miss Clif. We offer our thanks for all the assistance he gave us; he played a special role in the lives of many children and allowed us to serve them better through his caring work. L. Sue Munnoch Co-ordinator of Volunteer Services THE EDITOR, I see from the last issue of The Citizen Doug Trollope has been out tilting at windmills again. It's interesting to me that in all of his letters one need not look for the signature to see who the writer is. Regardless of the subject the theme is always the same: the Christian Church is at the root of all of society's ills. While I realize there is no future in sparring by means of this newspaper medium, I think there are three things Mr. Trollope should realize. The first is he himself has been brainwashed. His recommendation that the readers of The Citizen should peruse "The Age Of Reason," by Thomas Paine, indicates the type of literature upon which his mind feeds. He is perfectly free to read what he will, of course, but he must know atheistic and humanistic writers form their opinions just as the Bible shapes the attitude of Christians. The second thing of which he should be aware is that he is guilty of the cardinal sin of all bigots; the tendency to generalize. To listen to him one should never again have confidence in the medical profession because one doctor, or hundreds of them, for that matter, has proven to be unethical. My father used to have a problem with the church, just as Mr. Trollope does. Dad was discouraged from becoming a Sunday School teacher because of a lack of education, and it turned him off from the church. Years later, after I became a Christian and he became acquainted with genuine, "born- again" Christians, his confidence was restored. That can't happen for Mr. Trollope, however, because the church is corrupt and is a cancer at the heart of society. A third thing of which Mr. Trollope has not become aware is that the church has capitulated; Doug and his kind have won the war and they don't even know it! I refer to the fact the church now thinks exactly like he does: there is no such thing as sin; the Bible is out of date, culturally irrelevant and unreliable; secular humanism is its philosophy and its preachments. I trust then, Mr. Trollope will embrace his brothers, take out membership in the church (I hope the thought is not violently nauseating!) and give the rest of us poor benighted Christians a break. Jim Carne, Pastor The Missionary Church, Auburn. STICK TO THE TRAIL and have an enjoyable and safe snowmobiling season "Soup 'n Sandwich to go"... SOUP $1.49 SANDWICH $1.79 SOUP AND SANDWICH $2.99 Scrimgeour's Food Market Blyth 523-4551 CHRISTMAS & COUNTRY Flowers & Gifts Blyth 523-4820 Do you have an idea that could create more jobs in Huron County? If yes, then the Huron Community Futures Committee wants to hear from you! PLAN TO ATTEND ONE OF FOUR PUBLIC MEETINGS BEING HELD TO DISCUSS: "THE FUTURE. OF THE HURON ECONOMY: OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION" MEETING SCHEDULE DATE LOCATION TIME February 24th Brussels, Morris & Grey 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Community Centre, Brussels February 25th Clinton Town Hall, Clinton 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. March 3rd Exeter Recreation Centre, Exeter 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. March 11th Goderich Twp. Hall, Holmesville 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. YOUR IDEAS WILL HELP CREATE A PLAN OF ACTION TO KEEP THE HURON ECONOMY MOVING. For more information, or to receive a copy of the background discussion paper, contact Paul Nichol, Huron Community Futures Committee, 482-7948