HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-02-17, Page 28With the 1976 Income Tax
filing. , seasonfast ap-
proaching I would like to
mention something about the
Ontario Tax Credit System.
As taxpayers are aware,
Ontario Tac Credits are
financed by the Province but
administered on behalf of the
Province by Revenue Canada
Taxation through the Federal
Income Tax system. To claim
these tax credits an Ontario
resident must complete both
a Federal Income Tax return
and the Ontario Tax Credit
fora which comes with the
return.
Since 1972, when the"
property tax credit was in-
troduced the system has been
expanded to include a sales
tax credit, a pensioner tax
credit and a political con-
tribution tax credit. While the
property, gales and pensioner
tax credits provide the
largest benefits to those tax
filers with little orno taxable
income, the political con-
tribution tax credit can only
be claimed by tax filers who
still have Provincial tax
payable after application of
any property, sales or pen-
sioner tax credits to which
they may be entitled.
Ontario Tax Credit claims
for the 1976 taxation year are
expected to total. ap-
proximately$435 million with
more than one third of this
amount gding to claimants 65
years of age and over.
Therefore, it is particularly
important that elderly
persons file income. tax
returns even if they have no'
taxable income.
Copies of the 1976 Ontario
Tax Credit Guide can be
obtained in the Huron Mid-
dlesex Constituency office,
Devon Building, Main Street,
Exeter.
Constituents with Tax
Credit enquiries can contact
the Constituency office or
they may telephone the
Guaranteed Income and Tax
Credit Branch Information
Centre. Long Distance calls
may be placed to the Centre,
free of charge by dialling 0
and .asking . the - operator for
Zenith 82000. _
For the past two years, the
Liberal Party has been
calling upon the Minister of
Education to recognize that
standards of achievement in
Ontario Secondary Schools
from 'WWWee : Park
have been ` seriously
declining. •-.Now -an. inter -
ministry Report has been.
released which; confirms
many of our criticism.
The Government has In-
terpreted the findings of the
Study - as- a vindication,
asserting that `things are not
as bad as they- have r'een
made out to.be'. However, the
general public, teachers, and
students have a 'different'
pe'rceptfon.
According to the Report, 72
percent of secondary school
teachers thought that basic
language skills of university -
bound students have
deteriorated.
54 percent of the public and
59 percent of students thought
that basic reading and
writing skills had
deteriorated over a period.
A majorityof students and
public believe that not enough
discipline exists in our
schools.
5% percent of secondary
school teachers thought that
university entrants were not
as well prepared as they used
to be, while 46 percent
thought that achievement of
work -bound students has
deteriorated.
74 percent of students think
that some schools` make it
easier to obtain higher marks
than others.
62 percent of the general
public and 63 percent of
students disagree with the
statement that it is more
difficult to obtain" a high
school diploma than it used to
be. '
91 percent of secondary
school students,' 79 percent of
university faculty and 85
percent of CAAT faculty
believe that a compulsory
core curriculum is needed
irrespective of students'
plans or goals.
Six in every' ten secondary
school teachers favour
uniform .content for com-
pulsory subjects.
These and other survey
results would certainly in-
dicate a serious lackof
confidence in . the existing
educational system.
No doubt in. an attempt to
counter what the Ministry. of
Education regards as a
problem in communication
and lack of understanding *Of
what is happening in our
schools, the results of tests
and course assessment and
The recurrence of blowing
snowy weather adversely
affected attendance at
Sunday School and church
ser.wice in Dungannon United
Church. Rev. H.G. Dobson
spoke on, "Thy Kingdom
come".
The Nile Annual
Congregational meeting and
U.C.W. will be held on
Thursday, February .17 at
Nile United Church beginning
with a potluck lunch at 12:30
p.m. .
Inclement weather also had
an affect on attendance at the
Christian Fellowship Sunday
service. Student Pastor Doug
Zehr taold an interesting
story for the children entitled,
"The Green Blotched Upside
Down Valentine". His sermon
was on the topic, "Church of
God."
The . Young People of
Christian Fellowship Church
met at Murray Martin's on
Saturday night • .for a Pun
Night. Their tobogganing
party and Valentine supper,
Which were, rained out will be
hopefully held at later date.
_Glen McDonald. -...and. -_Sue
Godfrey of Kitchener visited.
her parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Howard Godfrey on the
weekend.
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne
Livington, Michael and Ricky
from the 4th conc. visited
Godfrey's on Sunday.
Mr. Russell ` Johnston
returened home from
Wingham Hospital on
Wednesday. -
Mrs. Irvine Eedy spent last
week in Mississauga with Mr.
-and Mrs. Bob Eedy and
family., Kathy has not been
well and Colleen was helping
look after the twins. `
Mr. and M`r's. Bob Ott -and
boys of Kitchener visited Mr.
and Mrs. Irvine Eedy on the
weekend. _.
Weather ,.permitted a full
week of school last week. The
Children are busy preparing
and delivering speeches, the
winners at Brrooksideto go
on to a more advanced
contest. -
Sympathy is extended to
Mr. and Mrs. Don Cameron
and family on the death of bis'
mother, Mrs. John Cameron
in London University_
flospital Tait week.
evaluation ere held out •as
(zrclgf that, in reality, the
situation is .not as, bad as
everyone thinks it is.
There is ampleevidence
that the ,programme of
testing designed for Interface
was well conceived by highly
regarded educational.
authorities. Nevertheless,
any testing programme,
however, ,well devised will
have limitations. Good
research, will always indicate ,
these limitations and offer
speculation on their impact
on the findings. Interface is
no exception.
For example, not all
school's selected for sampling
agreed to participate. The
effort to find replacements
was not always successful.
Many students who were to
be tested 35 percent - were
absent on the day of testing..
There was, inthe wordsof,the
report; `rio " universally
compelling reason dor .
students to take-the'testeet d_
do as well as they could'.
Adjustments.. were made ;for
absenteeism , but were
`unrelated to the effect;.tbat
the testing situation halt on
the motivation of those
students who did write the
test'. (Incidentally,seVeral
months ago, questions were
raised in the Legislature
about reports of significant
numbers of students ab-
senting themselves from the
testing.)
To quote from tf to epo t.
'at no,polnt in the,Stu as
information oitained
simultaneously onhgh school
In'
tested achievement
and university. success .
o, to quoom he
ReporAlst, 'the plainte-•fafrst is that
the time frame for the, Con"
duct of the Study was so'very
short not, it must'` be ed
mitted, w'th out•reason that
corners had to be cut, both; in
the collection of the data. and
in the analyses of them'
This Interface Report wjps
produced as a result of ''a
contract awarded by the
Provincial Government to the
private consulting firm of
Stevenson and Kellogg Ltd. to
investigate the roles, and
r1
responsibilitiesof secondary
• and • post -secondary
` e ucational institutions
ibose-surveyed by the con -
suiting• firm included the
general ,,public,- secondary
anal post -secondary students
band teachers, . alt ---of whom
agreed that the development
;:of lganguage amt.mathskills
should be the "primary goal of
secondary, schools.
College and ,University
'teachers : cite the lack of
uniform (or .province -wide)
Standards. Secondary
teachers include a decline in
academic ` standards,
weakness of the credit
system, lack of uniform,~
standards and curriculum
content.;: ' ,.:u
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