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PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2001.
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
Although Listowel is one of the
communities targeted by a recent
"save our schools" advertising cam-
paign bankrolled by the municipal
council of Huron East, it seems
unlikely the campaign will gain any
support from the Avon Maitland
District School Board trustee repre-
senting the Listowel area. The same
could be said for groups fighting to
save elementary schools in Goderich
and Holmesville.
Huron East council committed
$5,000 to the campaign, which
includes advertisements in such
weekly newspapers as The Listowel
Banner. The municipality also
pledged to contribute $20,000 to any
legal challenge, should trustees vote
to close a Huron East school.
But, based on comments at the
board's most recent regular meeting
last week, Listowel-area trustee Don
Brillinger believes a lot more money
should have been spent years ago by
councils in Goderich and what is
now the amalgamated Huron East, to
attract industrial and commercial
development.
At last week's meeting, Huron
East Councillor Joe Seili appeared as
a public delegation and told trustees
that "closing a school has a very
detrimental effect on efforts to
attract new business and residents to
our communities."
Nonetheless, trustees voted 7-1 to
keep Seaforth District High School
(SDHS) on a list for potential clo-
sure, meaning it could become the
second Huron East school (after
THE EDITOR,
As people rush around buying
gifts, decorating their homes and/or
preparing for Christmas, the MADD
(Mothers Against Drunk Driving)
Huron/Bruce Chapters wants to
remind everyone that there are fami-
lies in the Huron/Bruce area who
will not be celebrating this holiday
season with their loved one(s).
Instead, there is an empty chair
and grief in the hearts of the families
THE EDITOR,
One thousand and twenty-five
children across the county will have
a brighter holiday thanks to the gen-
erosity of our caring community.
As of last Friday, all your gifts
have been distributed through the
five host churches of the Huron
County Christmas Bureau. The fam-
Continued from page 1
SDHS. And for those schools facing
closure, it will happen Wednesday,
Feb. 13 at the same site.
Pressed by questioning from
Central and East Huron Trustee
Charles Smith, Board Chair Colleen
Schenk agreed it would be prudent to
amend the recommendation to insure
more meetings could be arranged if
there are an overwhelming number
of requests to address the board. And
Walton Public in 2000) to close by
September, 2002. Four other Huron
East schools were named for poten-
tial closure in an October, 2001 staff
report, but those schools were
removed from last week's pared-
down list.
During discussions, Central and
East Huron Trustee Charles Smith
took issue with statements by past-
chair Wendy Anderson, who sug-
gested current SDHS students would
be better served by attending the
more populous Central Huron
Secondary School in Clinton.
"For me, this issue has never been
about dollars, it has been about pro-
viding quality education for stu-
dents," Anderson said, suggesting
the larger student base makes it pos-
sible for the board to provide a wider
range of educational opportunities at
Central Huron.
Smith used the term "cannibal-
ism" to describe arty decision to
close SDHS. He said the board has
forced students away from SDHS for
several years by imposing an ongo-
ing threat of closure and by holding
back adequate funds in anticipation
of closure.
It was Brillinger's comments,
however, which really seemed to
raise Smith's ire. The North Perth
trustee made reference to public del-
egations by Sieli and Goderich
Clerk-Administrator Larry McCabe,
in suggesting the declining enrol-
ment which predicates school clo-
sures can be brought on by an inabil-
ity to attract families with school-
aged children.
"Twenty years ago, that munici-
pality's leaders should have been
who have lost a son, daughter, par-
ent, aunt, uncle, cousin, niece,
nephew or friend to an impaired
driver.
Impaired driving is a choice and
MADD Canada's mission is "To stop
impaired driving and to support Vic-
tims of this violent crime." On aver-
age, 4.5 people are killed and 125
injured by an impaired driver in
Canada in every day.
Christmas is meant to be a time of
ilies and children who have received
your support, the many volunteers
who manage this community service
and the staff of the Children's Aid
Society of Huron County wish you
and yours a very Merry Christmas.
Sincerely,
Huron County Christmas Bureau
Committee.
a "snow date" of Tuesday, Feb. 5 has
been written into the recommenda-
tion, to allow for rescheduling of any
postponed meeting.
Input is also possible in the form
of 10-minute delegations at the pub-
lic sessions of regular board meet-
ings, which begin at 8 p.m. at SDHS.
Regular board meetings prior to the
Feb. 26 vote are scheduled for
Tuesday, Jan. 22 and Tuesday, Feb.
12.
seeking out ways to attract industries
to their town, instead of letting their
younger population slip away and
letting their towns become retire-
ment communities," Brillinger said.
"If a town does not do that, the pop-
ulation ages and you get declining
enrolment."
He praised North Perth councils,
past and present, for attracting fami-
lies with school-aged children, sug-
gesting that's why the Listowel area
now generally has schools which are
either at or above capacity. Later in
the meeting, he suggested keeping
below-capacity facilities open harms
those schools by using up funds
which could be used to ease over-
crowding or upgrade programs and
facilities.
Smith countered that he must
make a "personal response," and
explained his own business is cur-
rently bankrolling an industrial
expansion in Seaforth which could
value up to $1.3 million. "I do that
because I'm a builder, not a destroy-
er," he said..
Smith has also repeatedly ques-
tioned the population projections put
forward by the board, a tactic which
was adopted by both Seili and
McCabe.
Meanwhile, Luke Janmaat, anoth-
er Seaforth industrialist who
appeared as a public delegation, said
the board has only paid lip service in
the past to its stated goal of working
with Huron County's business com-
munity and municipal governments
to attract more families. He urged
the board to defer any closures until
meaningful results can be taken from
a recent Avon Maitland initiative
celebration. If you're going to be out
partying, walk, plan to stay over,
have a designated driver, call a taxi
or have a friend, parent or family
member pick you up.
MADD Huron/Bruce wishes you a
safe holiday season! Drive Safe,
Drive Sober, Save Lives.
Sincerely,
Sandra J. Lee/Dwayne Evans
Co-Presidents
MADD Huron/Bruce Chapter.
called "Common Cause," which
seeks to accomplish that very goal.
Following the meeting, Brillinger
took heat front a Huron East resi-
dent, who approached the trustee
and forcefully provided a dissenting
opinion on the issue of his munici-
pality's support for industrial and
business growth.
The deadline for
the Dec. 24 paper
is Thurs., Dec. 20
2 p.m. - Brussels
4 p.m. - Blyth
The Citizen
(This is the last paper until
Jan. 9,1
Brillinger eels councils to blame
Closure meeting, Feb. 13
;i7k Please Recycle This Newspaper
Letter to the editor
MADD issues reminder
Bureau extends thanks