HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2004-10-20, Page 5Opinion
`Little people' are weary of stream
of rhetoric and endless runaround
From Page 4
three or four times more in trying to dissolve those mega -
governing units?
How many more times are we going to be sold a silk purse,
only to discover the sow's ear underneath?
Now before all you politically savvy people take pen or
keyboard in hand to tell me how I don't have the correct facts
and figures, and I don't really understand what it is 1 am
talking about, and how all the "little people just don't
understand" what it all really means, I am going to save you
the trouble.
SAVE IT.
I am one of the "little people" who live here.
I am one of the "little people" who are weary of promises
and cutbacks and a constant stream of rhetoric from the
"powers that be."
I am one of the "little people" who are trying hard to
understand.
I am one of the "little people" who takes great offence at
governing people patting us on the head and saying that it
really is none of our concern.
I am one of the "little people" who take even greater
offence at those among us who smugly tell us to "not worry
our pretty little heads about it, because we really don't know
everything that is going on."
I am one of the "little people" who just wants to take my
children or my parents to the hospital if they are sick.
And as our community gears up for yet another "issue," 1
for one am tired of fighting.
1 am tired of funding, formulas and student ratios and per
capita expenses and target numbers and governmental
quotients.
Not many of us are stupid - give us the plain simple facts.
andwe could probably understand. I am tired of the
runaround.
But mostly, I am tired of promises. My two nine -year-olds
go to elementary school in the old high school, and my 17 -
year -old is bussed out of town to high school. So much for
promises.
News
Seaforth man part of second crew
to help restore power to Florida
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Editor
Cars buried in four feet of
sand and boats washed onto
shore were the most dramatic
evidence of hurricane Jeanne
that Mike Durst, of Seaforth,
saw while helping restore
power in Florida with a
Hydro One crew from
Clinton.
"I was surprised. I thought
I'd see houses levelled but
mostly it was roofs blown off
and big highway signs
damaged," he said after
returning recently with the
second Hydro One crew to
help out in Florida.
Durst with the second crew
to clean up after hurricane
Jeanne on the same day Bob
Carnochan, of Egmondville
returned home from the clean-
up of hurricane Frances.
"Jeanne ripped down what
the first crew had done. We
were in the same area as the
first crew,"
he said.
While the
first crew
contained
270 workers,
the second
c r e w
numbered
220.
W
thought our
work in
Florida was
complete but
under these
extremely
unusual and
devastating
president and CEO Tom
Parkinson in a press release.
"1 think it's a tremendous
tribute to the
quality and
professionalism
Quoted
'We were
continuously
thanked and
people really
.appreciated us
but that's just
our normal
jobs:—
Durst,
of Seaforth
circumstances, we've got to
help out our friends in the
U.S.," said Hydro One
of our staff that
Florida Power
and Light was
so insistent on
wanting our
people hack."
Like the first
crew, Durst was
working 16 -
hour days in
sweltering heat
and swampy
terrain.
"It was very
humid. You
could almost
cut the air with
a knife. I never drank so much
water in my life and
sometimes I'd pour a warns
bottle of water over my head
because I'd he sweating just
standing there," he says.
He worked repairing lines
in heavy brush - "I called
them jungles' - of palm trees
and vines and while he spent
some time working in an
alligator sanctuary. he didn't
sec any alligators.
"I didn't realize it (was an
alligator sanctuary) until 1 got
out," he said.
While the people of Florida
showed their appreciation for
the Canadian hydro workers,
Durst says the work was just
part of his job.
"I've been to ice storms and
tornadoes - it's always
interesting to see those
things." said Durst.
"VVc were continuously
thanked and people really
appreciated us but that's just
our normal jobs." he said.
Ontario rural school funding initiative
called `patch on a patch' for local woes
By Stew Slater
Special to The Expositor
The eventual injection of
approximately $7I0,000 of
one-time government
money into the current
year's Avon Maitland
District School Board
budget "certainly goes
some way to helping (the
board) recapture the
amount" it already spent to
ensure each school had a
full-time principal and
secretary. -
Still, according to
business superintendent
Janet Baird -Jackson, it
means the board won't be
able to re -allocate about
$414,000 it took away from
other 2004-05 expenditures
to provide those guarantees.
On Sept. 22, the ruling
Liberals provided estimates
to each , school board,
detailing how $31 million
for the rural school portion
of the so-called "Good
Schools Open" initiative
would be distributed.
In short, education
ministry officials expanded
upon the previous
government's definition of
"rural," declared each
school should have a
principal and secretary, and
based its allocation formula
on 93 per cent of the salary
earned by such employees
under existing benchmarks.
Then on Sept. 27,
ministry officials stated the
formula would be used only
to decide how much new
funding each school
generated; school boards
can then decide how and
where to spend the funds,
based on what are expected
to be a broadly -ranging set
of yet -to -be -released
parameters.
Baird -Jackson, speaking
to trustees at a meeting
Tuesday, Oct. 12, called the
$31 -million initiative "a
patch on a patch (for
addressing rural education
woes): the Good Schools
Open on top of the Rural
Education Strategy."
She said one reason why
the Avon Maitland budget
will still show a shortfall in
principal/secretary funding,
if the ministry estimates
hold true once the final
calculations are made early
next year, is that the salary
benchmarks used by the
government are five years
old.
Trustees also questioned
the preliminary calculations
provided during the Oct. 12
meeting; one education
ministry document
indicated Seaforth Public
School remains a secondary
school (which ceased to he
the case in 2002).
Interviewed after the
meeting. Baird -Jackson
stressed it's not yet known
how broadly -ranging the
parameters will he for
spending thc Good Schools
Open money. for boards
which have already
provided full -tine
principals and secretaries in
every school.
Shc noted previous
budgetary decisions have
frequently taken money
ass ay from transportation.
How ever. both she and
education director Geoff
Williams cpressed
confidence the soon -to -he -
revamped rural education
strategy will take into
account the struggle of
rural hoards to finance such
things as transportation.
"Facilitics.is one area that
gets hit all the time to fund
the programming." t he
business superintendent
commented, adding thc
Good Schools Open money
might he used to fund
structural renovations or
upgrades.
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, Oct. 20, 2004-5
Car Oiling
at
Lee's Service Centre
(formerly Dave's Car Oihng)
Hood
Trunk Lid
Inner Fenders
inner Fenders
Underside Doors & Door Panels Dog Legs
We use Hot, Acid Free, New Oil
CARS & LIGHT TRUCKS
Hours: Mon. - *Thurs. 1 pm - 9 pm; Fri. 1 pm - 6 pm; Sat. 8 am - 12 noon
(Weather permitting) 348 Dinsley St. E., Blyth 523-9151
FLU SHOT CLINIC
DR. SALSBURY'S PATIENTS
Thursday, Oct. 28, 9:30am -12 noon
DR. SALTER'S PATIENTS
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 9:30 am-12noon
Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2 -Spm
NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY
Please wear a short sleeve shirt
BEREAN COVENANT
CHURCH
A BRANCH OF
GRACE TRINITY COMMUNITY
CHURCH
Orange Hall, Seaforth
527-0029
4 pm Worship Service
Pastoral Team:
Pastor Bob Penhearow
Pastor Ron Matthews
Pastor Royal Hamel
You are invited
to attend these
area churches
, •
St. Thomas
Anglican Church
A Congregation of the Parch ef The Holy Sent
Jarvis St. Seaforth .
Fr Michael Atkuu Pansh Office 527-1522
Sunday, October 24
The 21st Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday Worship - 9:30 am
Mondays- Prayer Group at 7 pm
Growers Group at 730 pm
'Everyone Welcome
Catholic Church
St. James RC Church •
14 Victoria Street. Seaforth
527-0142
Weekend Masses: Sat 5:15 pm
Sun. 11:00 am
St. Columban RC Church
Saturday Mass at 7:30 pm
Father Lance Magdziak
Bethel Bible Church
Gospel Church
An Associated Gos P
126 Main St Seaforth
527-0982
Sunday Worship Hour 11 am
Sunday School 9:45 am
Jim Wyllie Pastor
Y
Egmondville
United Church
Sunday, October 24
Worship Service at 11 am
Sunday School - Ages 6 & up - 10 am
Steve Hildebrand Lay Pastoral
Minister In Training
Everyone Welcome
- Turkey Supper Wed. Oct. 27
"Gospel Songfest 2004"
Sunday, Oct. 24, 7:30 pm
at Egmondville U.C.
NORTHSIDE - CAVAN
UNITED CHURCHES
Cavan 9 30 a m 11 00 a.m Northside
Winthrop 54 Godench St W
Minister Rev. John Gould
Sunday, October 24
Cavan Anniversary Service -
11:00 a.m.
No service at Northside
First Presbyterian
Church
Goderich St. W.. Seaforth
SUN., OCTOBER 24
CHURCH CLOSED
Please come to St. Andrews Church,
Clinton to celebrate their ..
Anniversary Service 10:30 am
Lunch to follow
Out of the Blue...
The Bluewater Recycling Association is proud to report that out of the bluebox you have managed 4111116
to reduce the waste generated in the area by over 70%. As a matter of fact, the Association has been
recognized by the Recycling Council of Ontario each of the last seven years for having the highest
waste diversion in the Province. We would like to congratulate everyone for such a recycling effort. ismoimmosi
The Bluewater Recycling Association is "Your Environmental Alternative!"