HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-04-08, Page 3IALThLENE WS
Times -Advocate, April 8, 1998
Page 3
Daffodil Day
Flowers of hope. •Stephanie McVeeney buys her share of
daffodils from Daffodil Day organizers Friday in support of
the Canadian Cancer Society.
Your Views
Letters to the Editor
Huron Perth schoolschoose one-week break
STRATFORD - Perth and Huron
County parents and students prefer
a longer summer break than winter
break.
Last week, the Avon -Maitland
District School Board :ai.1 the Hu-
ron=Perth Roman Catholic Separate -
School Board approved a one-week
March Break for 19.99. •
Besides, parents can't put up with
their kids at home for two weeks in
March.
Chairperson Abby Armstrong. of
the Avon -Maitland board, said par-
ents told her that- their children
didn't know how to pass the time
when it was wet and muddy "out-
side. Ina Ietter.,onc parent told the
hoard that the kids. get bored and
having them at home for two weeks
is "torture."
A two-week March Break in
1999 would• have meant starting
school one week earlier, before the
Labour Day weekend.
Chairperson Ron _ Marcy, .of the
separate hoard, said a lot of parents
didn't want their children to begin
school early:
"i think it's (one-week March
Brcak> what the majority of rat -
1 :4 5 F'M
Your throat's
constricting.
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Behind closed doors
"...they are rapidly losing the confi-
dence .of a large segment of
Exeter's taxpayers."
D.iar Editor:
Some comments regarding recent council actions:
• Effectively they said:
- After all you need a seconder to discuss busi-
ness:
- Dead silence;
- Chreticn meets with his cabinet in secret; .
- More gets accomplished in the parking lot;
- Use -my .place.
Ratepayers might have heard:
- I don't understand this; •
- i prefer doing business in the coffee shop and •
rubber stamping it later;
- I can't stand anyhody watching me;
- i didn't know thcrc•wcrc rules toile followed;
-- I know I voted in favor of the pay increase hut
don't Mame me:
- i don't need,"my name" in the paper:
- After all as council we can set our own rules:
- I have problems dealing with business in public
sight:
If any of these perceptions.are correct. members
of council should recognize that with only 10 per
cent of a 36 month mandate completed. they are -
rapidly losing the confidence of a large -segment of
Exeter's taxpayers.
Over the years I have worked with Mr. John •
Sewell regarding Municipal Conflict of Interest, -as a
council member with people such as Mrs. Dorothy
Chapman and Mr. Gaylou Josephson and -as a "town,
councillor" member with people such as Mr. Dave .
Newton among others and at all times the unwritten
but explicit premise "That elected officials and "
appointed committee members must not only do
•right but,be seen to do right" was foremost. in my
opinion this•council is ignoring this essential •
premise and feel that their "hack door methods" of
dealing with•rcmuncration other than as a scheduled
agenda item is a prime example (if disregard for the
taxpayers.
Next it is obvious that some members have not
bothered to stop by their local clerk/treasurer to pick
up a copy of section 55 of the Municipal Act
because if they had they would he aware of which of
,their acts might he illegal and further the precise
conditions which goyern them during busin?ss away
from.thc public vict(t. They might -even learn a little
more about duly constituted meetings.
Lastly it appears that sometimes council is acting
as if they were "anointed -and not "elected to serve
the needs of the electorate."
As to "doing it right", they should -carry on further
with actions such as posting agendas hut that they
must recognize that while the ability to deal with
business arising from "Councillors comment" exists
that this action is futile and non -effective. Perhaps a
new procedural bylaw (Have we got one?) might
address this by (1) restricting this to a comment only
by the person raising the subject. or (2) state that
"discussion could take place during this period with-
out a motion" and that further "no motions could he
brought forward during this time but instead must he
carried forward to the agenda of the next council
meeting."
Regarding 55.1. all they have to do is follow it to
the letter and taxpayer confidence will be restored
and'they may possibly even avoid potential lawsuits
involving.themselves and the town "for actions
which resulted from a non -duly constituted meet-
ing."
By adopting the two foregoing practices they
would go a. long way to eliminating my third con-
cern. however in a related manner I personally hope
that the T -A returns to the former approach of Bill
Batten of not only reporting council news (and your
present correspondent does a great job) but also
commenting on council business.
Finally a direct question to members of council -
"Will you stand up and he counted anis ensure all
town affairs are conducted properly and in the
open'
Don Winter, Exeter
SUMMARY OF Et 1;(-11()N F.\I'ENs1•,s
(lcnet-al idection of 19')7
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Candidate
Official
Agent
Number . Total . Total Deduct •• Total
of Contributions FJtction Personal Election
Contributors Expenses Expenses of Expenses _
Candidate Subjectto
the Limit'
Audited by
I )„u}; Fine.
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Wilkins Bill I lassard
111 sr 95/1 0- 548,221161 S2.060_74 540.1 o, -')
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& Sethaah.
Chartered Accountants
4 olleen',hrnk
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Russell l'aslor
11 1 5 14.404 60 521.')81.'4 SIAM' 15 522.1 11 6')
Doane Raymond.
Chartered Accountants
Paul Steckk
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I- ugene Hendee
160 - 140.941.72 S40.'6"7 , S 46062 510 11' 1 •
I Auks & Bun.
(:havered Accountants
For snore information, plcaw call. toll
or, for -people who are deaf or hard of
•
'Permuted Isms other -non Evenrer for
heron -Bruce: R.549.,ir
&cc. 1 800 INFO -VOTE (1 800 46.t-68681 Ebetlons
heating, "t"IY/Tl)D 1 800 361-8935. Canada
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epayers wanted,” he said.
It was also what many students
wanted as well. •
Last Tuesday, Marcy 31, student
trustee Holly Beth Mathers told the
Avon Maitland hoard that student
trustees surveyed students to three
Perth secondary schools and one
Huron secondary school. The ma-
jority ,of students wanted "a one-
- week break, she said.
"Students have summer jobs. Stu-
dents can't get work for two week
in the March Break but they can
work an extra week at the end of
the summer," said student trustee
Mathers.
The separate hoard and the for-
mer Huron County Board of Educa-
tion previously . had two-week
March Breaks. The former Perth
"County Board of Education main-
tained a one-week break.
Classes for both -hoard& will be-
gin Sept. K. Easter Monday in 1999
will be an instructional day for pub-
- and separate secondary students.
Elementary sch(ols"in both systems
will have a holiday on Easter Mon-
day. •
All Avon Maitland and -Huron
,Perth Separate schools will be Je-
duced from nine professional activ-
ity days to four.
Both boards, ; in collaboration,
will request the Minister of Educa-
a•
tion and Training to review the des-
ignation of Professional • Activity
Days and increase the number of
days in 1999-2000, "to reflect the
real staff developrirent day needs."
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