Loading...
The Citizen, 1996-03-13, Page 4 C The North Huron itizen BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1995 P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, Publisher, Keith Roulston BLYTH, Crit. BRUSSELS, Ont. Editor, Bonnie Gropp NOM 1H0 NOG 1H0 Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114 Advertising Manager, Fax 523-9140 FAX 887-9021 Jeannette McNeil The Citizen is published weekly In Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable In advance at a rate of $25.00/year ($23.37 + $1.63 G.S.T.) for local; $33.00/year ($30.85 + $2.15 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier In Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $62.00/year for U.S.A. and $75.00/year for other foreign countries. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are Copyright. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 Helen Johns marched into the lions den on Saturday, meeting with farm groups angry about proposals to slash funding for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and though she might not have won converts, at least she won respect. Farm groups weren't gentle on Johns despite her lack of experience in farm affairs. They reminded her that her government had promised in June's election campaign there would be no more cuts to agriculture. They pointed out the OMAFRA budget had already been slashed between 1985 and 1995 and that agriculture played no part in the mounting deficit problems. Johns, to her credit, took the criticism and argued back. Though she generally stuck to the party line that circumstances had changed since the election promise, she admitted she had misled farm voters and said they would have to judge her come next election. In such a free-for-all discussion, Johns couldn't hide behind a prepared text (recently, virtually the same speech was delivered three times by Agriculture Minister Noble Villeneuve and his parliamentary assistant Marcel Beaubien over a period of three months in Huron and Bruce counties ). Johns actually talked about the issues, and in doing so showed she had worked hard to grasp the concerns of farmers. The big public relations failure of the Mike Harris government is that it seems to be listening to no one but its friends in business. Johns at least seemed to listen. The government has failed to give a vision of the kind of Ontario people can expect when they get through with their surgery. While Johns didn't exactly give a sense of vision, she at least put a human face on the government. The problems surrounding this government continue, but more openness and interaction with the public might help. And who knows, if Tory MPPs get out among the public often enough, they might actually get some ideas other than those of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves. — KR PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 1996 Openness earns Johns respect UI cheaters with a difference If there's one thing that gets people upset, it's the thought that some people are cheating on welfare or their Unemployment Insurance. Now they can include Paul Martin and the federal government among the cheaters. Quietly, the federal government has been using UI funds to help eliminate the deficit at the same time they're cutting the benefits to unemployed workers. While workers in Quebec and the Maritimes march to protest being cut off UI because they can only get part-time work in their regions, Martin has been building a surplus of $4.3 billion in the UI fund (aiming at $9.3 billion by 1997). The money will stay in a special fund for future UI purposes, but it will be counted in the government's overall finances. Martin wouldn't be meeting his deficit targets if he wasn't using this money. For once business and labour are united in castigating Martin for the slight of hand, though they disagree on what he should be doing with the surplus. Labour representatives say the money should be helping the unemployed. Business leaders say the government should be cutting UI premiums to workers and businesses, thus encouraging employers to hire more people. Martin at one time called UI payments "a tax on jobs". Now he says that a surplus must be built up so there will be money if there is another downturn in the economy. Mr. Martin, have you missed something? The economy never turned up! There's something underhanded in this sneaky way of making the deficit look better. The government should come clean and admit it. The perils of trade dependency The global market can bring prosperity, but it can also make countries captive of politics far beyond their borders. The U.S. attempts to force other countries to .joip their boycott of Cuba shows the politics don't stop at the borders of trading giants. Meanwhile investors who have poured billions of dollars into China must be nervous at the sabre-rattling over Taiwan. People thought China could be influenced by outside investment, China may think it can now pressure the outside world to go along with its policies or lose the investment. — KR E ditorial Letters Editor's Note: Following is a letter to MPP Helen Johns from Director of Education Paul Carroll, in response to the provincial govern- ment's "tool box" for education. Dear Helen, With respect, I express to you, my dismay and my extreme disappointment! The measures announced by Minister John Snobelen yesterday are, at best, a sham. I cannot believe that your government, blessed with the business sense and acumen it is said to possess, would offer us such meagre and untimely first steps in the massive reduction of over one billion dollars from the public education system in Ontario. Who perpetuates this travesty upon you? Today we know nothing more than we have already speculated in the three months preceding - following the Nov. 29 announce- ments by Ernie Eves. You and your Cabinet MUST tell us where we stand. It is unconscionable that our multi-billion dollar a year public education business should be denied its financial ground rules - at this time of extreme budgetary constraint - until close to half the spending year is finished! April announcements ( and then May budgets!) of the expected-to-be- even-more-convoluted General Legislative Grants is a perversion. I cannot imagine any competent business person that would allow this to happen. Bring on the bailiffs! Your government is now presiding over a financial mess which cannot be resolved. There is surely now a crisis of enormous proportions. We are the practitioners. We work on the front lines of public education. We know how to get this job done. Surely there can be some way to let us help you with this enormous task? It is no wonder that governments get accused of working in never, never land! The authors of this document know not what they have done! You would be wiser to demolish the Mowat Block than to perpetuate this charade. Come visit our schools! A delay in capital construction grants? Who cares - Huron Public Education doestit have a nickel coming from you in 1996-97 for that purpose. You still owe us well over a million dollars in unpaid capital grants from 1995. I increased the bank interest line in our budget almost $200,000 (recently) one more percentage point on the mill rate for property tax ratepayers because this government has not yet paid last year's bills! (And I know your government will renege on promises already made for funding top-ups for '95!) Bloated administration costs? Get real! Circumstances advanced a planned downsizing last week! We've already found the $200,000 'hinted' we might need for a smaller -administration: Education leader- ship in Huron is one third smaller today; and I've moved a team of secretaries out to the schools to help teachers get more technologi- cally literate. There is no more blood in that stone. Custodial services! Pick up a broom! We already have the lowest expenditure by a long shot, without exception, for cleaning our build- ings, of every single school board in Southwestern Ontario. Do we now stop sweeping the floors? Wasteful bus routes? Take a ride! Our highly integrated school bus system, which combines inhouse service with major contracting out in the private sector, and connects closely with the routes of our Catholic counterparts, has been reduced in cost by over half a million dollars per annum in the last three years. Do we take the buses off the road? And the rest of the stuff is just window dressing. Sure the retirement gratuity/sick leave thing will save money - but, Photo by Candice Irwin Helen, that's over the next 30 years! This crisis is now. It's 1996 - and by the time school boards can set out the rates for this fiscal year, we will be 40 per cent through the current spending period. Our municipal partners knew their status at Christmas time. Across Ontario, we in education spend many more tax dollars than the entire municipal sector. Why do you continue, to treat us as unworthy business partners? Stop insulting us. If you can't do better than that, it's time to take the Michigan approach. When we run out of money this Spring, let's close the schools! I'm serious. Maybe then we can get some corrective action for this astounding injustice in funding direction. Regretfully, Paul Carroll Director of Education and Secretary-Treasurer. MPP's response Dear Paul, I am in receipt of your letter of yesterday, have faxed it to the Minister and have discussed it with him. We were, to say the least, surprised by the tone, the content and the list of individuals you decided to share your "disgust" with - this letter sounds more political than professional! Suffice it to say that this government was left with $100 billion of debt and we are making tough choices to reduce the debt, get the province back on track and in this case maintain a high standard in our education system. Many of our transfer partners as well as the provincial government itself, have been asked to assist us in our mission. Our transfer partners in Huron County understand this government's mandate, have worked to assist us, have been very supportive and have offered creative solutions. The minister suggested that your letter contains no solutions or suggestions but rather is a tirade of negative comments. As outlined in Continued on page 6