Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2011-09-28, Page 8nmunity to the editor ker' lends ort to munity rich, e a "gawker". mean to be one. But I too had to e F3 did. see what I was praying for; I had to ple that my heart was heavy for. I the •buildings that once stood d housed businesses that I once not a Goderich citizen but means a lot to me too. I live in a but Goderich is a place I've least once or even twice a week for life, e tornado. hit, I too was horrified rooted to the spot as update after posted on Facebook about the n. come to Goderich to block traffic barracades or to get in the way of des or to stare at brokenhearted me when most of the wreckage when the rescue vehicles had many of the volunteers had gone when there was nothing to see es of thanks written. on homes. wker" But when I looked at your ur businesses, your fallen trees, le, your brokenness, my intention harm but to wish you all well, to upport, to pledge my love to could do more. I wish I could fix it. uld take it all away. But for now, all gawk and be SO proud of all of the ut it all back together, newer, rettier, repaired. you Goderich. A gawker, R. de Weerd Clinton, Ontario gone walkabout or; 's school sed to ay the 16th finer that the angel that %itches: over Garden had walk. If you wherea- appen to se return home. or your Staff and stti- of St. Mary's I, Goderich. • • Wednesday, September 28, 2011 • Goderich Si ! nal -S 7 Defend your rights against school review To the Editor: The Avon Maitland District School Board has announced that another Accommodation Review process is about to commence for Colborne Central and Holmesville Public and possibly other schools. Having seen the disastrous results of one of their ARC adventures, I am com- pelled to provide some advice to the affected communities based on our grim experience in North Huron. Blyth, Brus- sels, and Zurich are facing bleak futures as a result of the board's hostile decisions. We learned a lot, but the lessons may have come too late. Our Blyth school has not even closed, but we are already seeing property values drop. I am directing this message to the com- munities -- not just the people who will be selected as members of the ARC commit- tee. These processes are of prime concern to everyone in the community, not just to children in school, parents. of children in schools -- everyone! Enlightened school boards in some . parts of the province are encouraging full community participation. Some school boards, having learned from their mis- takes in earlier ARC processes, have tossed the whole ARC agenda out, and have entered into agreements with their area municipalities. Together they have pro - ceded in an open, transparent, honest approach to discover the best solutions for pupil accommodation without doing dam- age to the communities in which the pupils and their friends and neighbours live. Don't expect that kind of enlightenment from AMDSB. They believe that schools are silos, completely disconnected from the surrounding community, and they can do anything they like, leaving the shat- tered community to pick up the pieces. I would advise municipal councils who are affected by such a review to give notice to the school board that the council is vitally concerned with the results and would like to be fully involved. If rebuffed by the board, make sure that you have at least one representative councillor as member of the ARC and an alternate so that your council is involved every step of the way. That representation is a require- ment of the Guidelines, but you must make certain that your representative keeps council informed. Make sure that there are public meet- ings, and that they are fully advertised in the community. Notes sent home with school. children exclude parts of your com munity and -give the impression that the community at large is not wanted at these meetings. According to the ARC rules, the board is obligated to see that the commit- tee and public meetings involve a broad cross-section of the community. In North Huron it seemed that AMDSB deliberately avoided full participation in the meetings. Get a copy of the Pupil Accommodation Review Guideline issued by the Ministry of Education and study it very carefully and ensure that the board follows every guide- line to the letter (except for a small number of items which may not be appli- cable in your situation). In North Huron, the board ignored many guidelines, mainly because they would have inter- fered with their pre -planned agendas. Don't let them get away with that kind of trickery. If the usual pattern prevails, AMDSB will have decided already what they intend to do. That is not a reason for giving up. Don't let them cut any corners. Get all the input you can legally get. Treat the entire process with the utmost seriousness. Remember that the school board by legislation has the absolute right to make any closure decision it wishes; there is no right of appeal. if you do not like the decision, you may petition the Minister of Education to authorize an administrative review. Don't confuse that with an appeal. If the petition Is granted, a so-called "independent facllltator" will determine whether the board followed its own policy, but that person has no author- ity to change the board's decision. Not even the Minister cando that. This is the most egregious example of lack of accountability and transparency that we have seen in this country. I have read severalreports by these facilitators in various Ontario communi- ties, and they read as if they all came out of the same sausage machine. Our report in the case of Blyth Public School made no note of the many violations by Avon Mait- land of the guidelines, the lack of repre- sentation from business, municipal, and general public sources, the board's failure to conduct an economic impact study of BPS closure. All of these gaps were ignored by the facilitator in her report. She or he works for the Minister and the Minister does not seem to be on the side of the community. If you are going to obtain a result that serves both the educational and the com- munity needs and interests, it has to be accomplished through the ARC, The ARC results have to be so convincing that the. board would be embarrassed to ignore the community input. And, believe me, this school board is not easily embarrassed. This board has its own secret agendas and will doalmost anything to get their way despite what the community wants and needs. Work hard to defend your com- munity's interests; don't rely on the board to do that. A good preparation for this ARC process would be to submit a question for the can- didates in the upcoming All Candidates meetings to see where they stand with respect to the ARC. Brock Vodden No nuclear support in NDP nuclear policy To the Editor, Many skilled young people that have grown up in Bruce County leave the area after they complete their schooling to seek employment elsewhere. There is a brain drain happening. The nuclear industry plays a major role in reversing this negative trend in our communities. I'm concerned about the future eco- nomic prospects of nay riding should the NDP come into power. Specifically I do not believe Grant Robertson has been upfront about his position on nuclear. The NOP energy policy does not support the nuclear industry. Should the NDP come into power this would have a major impact on the long term economic sustainability of our region. As news outlets, i believe you have a spe- cial responsibility to the voters of Huron Bruce to hold political parties and candidates for public office to account. It is your responsibility to put forth accurate information in order for voters to make an informed decision come voting day. In fact it is your professional responsibility. I would encourage you to print the attached letter in order for people to make an informed vote come October the 6th. Sincerely, Tom Podsiadlo Port Elgin www.goderichsignalstar.com Coinfnurtity news: Dominique Milburn mlall: gssnewsebowesnet.com News Sports Special Sections Arts/Life Multimedia City Living Community Sports' Service Clubs