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The Wingham Advance Times, 1995-02-08, Page 44 tfpz tng jam Sid )eft -times Published each Wednesday at: Box 390, 5 Diagonal Road, Win hant,Ontario NOG 2W0 Phone (519) 357-2320 Pax: (519) 357-2900 J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd. Second Class Mail Registration No. 0821 ° We are: Jim Beckett —Publisher Audrey Currie—Manager Cameron J. Wood — Editor Norma Golley — Ad. Rep. Jim Brown — Reporter Stephen Pritchard - Comp. Eve Buchanan — Office Louise Welwood—Office Memberof: OCNA CCNA The W inghamAdvance-Times is a member of a family of community newspapers pro- viding news, advertising and` informationleadershrp. ' Letters to the Editor All letters to the editor must bear the writer's name, telephone num- ber and address. The Advance -Times wel- comes letters. We re- serve the right to edit, but will endeavor to preserve the author's intent. Deadline for letters is Monday before 10:00 a.m.: Some exceptions may apply. Fax: (519) 357-2900 or mail to: P.O. Box 390, Wingham, Ontario, NOG 2W0 'gibbing the bank wo decades of living beyond our means, and robbing rhe piggy bank of our children, is finally catching up with Canada. We can see it in the new economic cycle where recession is the norm and re- covery is the exception. And it is reflected in an ever sinking loonie. These are all the inevitable consequences of piling up three-quarters of a trillion dollars in public debt. The most recent warning to investors came from the influen- tial and highly respected Wall Street Journal. In its Janu- ary 12 editorial, the Journal expressed the opinion that "Canada has become an honourary member of the Third World in the unmanageability of its debt problem." That observation should hardly come as shocking news. Among industrialized nations, Canada's debt load is sec- ond only to that of Italy. On the Fraser Institute's SIC list (Se1yIndebted Countries), Canada stands 34th; right belfind Honduras. But both Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Ontario Premier Bob Rae opted to shoot the messenger rather. than .heed the warning. Chretien claimed that Canada's deficit is "under control". Rae called the Wall Street Journal's opinion "absurd" and "preposterous." How un- fortunate that neither of these leaders could own up to the facts, and attempt to calm the troubled investors by vowing to renew efforts to control Canada's ballooning debt. Their nonchalance sends all the wrong messages to skittish investors and concerned. Canadians alike. Cana- da's social programs, our quality of life, and even confed- eration itself, are all directly associated with our ability to avoid hitting the debt wall. How can Chretien and Rae still be trapped in such a state of denial? This spring's federal budget, and the sovereignty referendum in Que- bec will factor greatly into Canada's debt crisis. Finance Minister Paul Martin must show the international invest- ment community that Canada is pulling out of itsdeficit nose-dive. If not, the loonie could be in for a rough ride. But even more ominous is the potential impact of Que- bec separation. The loss of 25% of its tax revenue would leave Ottawa in a cash-flow crunch and unable to service its debt. And if an independent Quebec defaults or comes up short on its $150 -billion share of the federal debt, then that too could be the final blow toward a currency crisis. It will be a sad day when the World Bank and the In- ternational Monetary Fund begin to act as the trustees in receivership of this once prosperous nation. But even a country can only go on for so long spending more than it earns. For Canada, the day of reckoning is upon. us: - Ken Bosveld, The Guelph Tribune r.:dw`s2v1'i;��,6.E.'It���,•�.'�}'+..'.>s�}:..`.'�...�:ii�l�."�`"'�'T.�`�,.3�.n�:.�i:'�'''.��k'.r,.. x�'1��fA%1'�'.� A. reason to smif' Wingham The Wingham Junior C Ironmen have moved into a two - game lead over the Walkerton Black Hawks and are poised to advance into the Western loop semi-finals. with Margaret Stapleton FEBRUARY 1948 A fire loss of close to $35,000 was caused at Brussels last Wednesday morning when flames gutted the produce depot on Turn - berry Street, owned and operated by Hugh Pearson and the apart- ments above it. This is the month you have five Sundays to sleep in. Three times every century -- and only in Leap Years -- February has an extra Sunday. Friends of Mr. and Mrs. G. N. Underwood paid them a surprise visit last Friday evening on the occasion of their 30th wedding anniversary. Among those present were Mrs. Underwood's parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Moffat. A pleasant time was had and they were presented with gifts of sil- ver. The young adults of town are having a sleigh ride party on Wednesday evening. Sleighs will leave the town hall at 8 p.m. sharp and refreshments will be served following the ride. FEBRUARY 1961 Miss Karen Carswell of Ford- wich was named queen in the an- nual ice carnival last Saturday night. The Burke Electric store has been undergoing some major ren- ovations during the past several weeks and is now just 1 about com- plete. The change hasp provided considerably more display space for appliances and has given the owner two private offices on the main floor. The Wingham High School Board has been informed of the resignation of Miss K. McGregor, who has been on the teaching staff of the school for 30 years. The new LCBO store being built in Wingham is taking shape. The walls of the warehouse are just about complete and steel workers are adding to the frame - work and the front of the build- ing. FEBRUARY 1971 Marlene Jamieson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ross Jamieson of Wingham, was crowned Wing - ham Carnival Snow Queen last Thursday night at the Wingham Public School. Runners-up were Gail Remington and Marion Wil- lie. The return of hockey favorites of years ago was hailed by a large crowd last Saturday night at the arena. In the end, the Stainton Spitfires defeated the Midget champions of 1953-54 by the count of 13-5. H. N. Gowdy & Son Ltd. of Gorrie has been sold to James King, formerly of Beaver Lum- ber. Dr. Ray Bateman, at present practising dentistry, at Massey in Northern Ontario, will open an of- fice in Wingham on May 1. Dr. Bateman is a friend of Wingham's only dentist at the current time, Dr. Ken Lawless. FEBRUARY 1981 Ratepayers in the Town of Wingham can expect to pay sig- nificantly higher taxes this year. The budget adopted Monday night by town council forecasts a tax increase in 1981 of 14.4 per cent. A fire in East Wawanosh Township last Thursday morning caused serious injuries and the de- struction of a home. The blaze, on County Road 20, Con. 9, °de- stroyed the home and belongings of Lottie Scott and resulted in burns and lacerations to Mrs. Scott and four of her children. An interesting race is shaping up in the riding of Huron -Bruce for the March 19 provincial elec- tion. Wingham businessman Re - nus Bailey will seek the Liberal nomination, as will Wingham lawyer Murray Elston. WEDNESDAY, E'EDR1AARY8,1995 Pint-sized pupils just preposterous There's a new kidnapper on the streets this week. But unlike almost all other criminals, there's not a thing the police can. do about this one. The kidnapper in question is the Royal Commission on Learning (the Begin -Caplan Report); and accom- ,plice NDP Education Minister David Cooke. Their tactic: putting three- year -olds in school this fall. Six pilot projects in the province will see the addition of the youngsters in the classroom in what can only be de- scribed as absurd. And the decision to add the pint-sized scholars to the education system is just one of sev- eral reforms that are expected to be announced by Cooe and Premier Bob Rae over the next month. In all, it is expected the NDP will follow up on more than a dozen recommen- dations made by the Learning Corn - mission. In all, the 550 -page report was widely accepted. Only certain areas of contention were presented, 'such as the three -year-olds in school. Oth- er changes ihclude the elimination of Grade 13 (now called OAC) in the next five years, establishing a col- lege/university entrance level of Grade 12. A similar system is al- ready in operation throughout other provinces and the United States. Also expected is a professional col- lege for teachers; which has already drawn fire from the Ontario Secon- dary. School Teachers Federation as the Ontario College of Teachers will restrict powers to the unions. One of the changes expected to be announced very shortly is literacy testing at the Grades 3 and 11 levels. Matching that will be a common re- port card for all students in the prov- ince and an education assessment agency. But the admission of three -year- olds to the education system is a most peculiar recommendation. To question the thought process behind this decision is easy, but to under- stand the recommendation is much more difficult. The motive, of course, is directly related to the level of day care in the province. With more and more Ontario families rely ng on two incomes, parents are lelwith little choice but to utilize day care for their preschoolers. In certain major .urban centres, the availability is limited and the ex- pense phenomenal. In the eyes of the commission, then why not establish a sub -level junior kindergarten and take the load off day care. The three- year-old classroom would feature a teacher, an early childhood educa- tion professional and an assistant. Why not? Well, as we heard in Bruce County during the junior kindergart- en mandate, sendi'n.g the younger set to school is a difficult proposition when the majority of students rely on busing. We must ask ourselves again: do we want three- and four - The Outer Edge Cameron J. Wood year-olds waiting at the end of the laneway -for the school bus to arrive? Many will answer no. In the decision to create a school- based sub -level junior kindergarten, the NDP has revealed that it has real- ly lost touch with rural Ontario. It may be easy to shuffle the little ones off to school in the city, but in the country, how many three -year-olds are up to a 30 minute bus ride? Then there's the pressure of getting on the right bus when coming home. Put five or six big yellow buses in front of a three-year-old pair of eyes and there .might not be a lot of differ- ence. And that's a lot of pressure to put on a kid — and a lot of pressure to put on any one of the three class- room supervisors; who no doubt may have to contend with 20 tiny bus riders at the end of the day. We must also consider the physi- cal demands of such a plan as well. We have been hearing from ,various school boards around the province about the overcrowding of the schools, the increasing stu- dent:teacher ratio, and the use of portable classrooms. Now to add a class of three -year-olds may not be a significant challenge; after all they are small people, but if space is not available for other grades, how can boards justify the addition? Remem- ber, the elimination of Grade 13 will not free up space at the primary level. because the schools are separate. And what about learning? There is no doubt that as children age they learn at different paces. Even in an individual perspective,. people learn at different speeds at different peri- ods of their own lives. is the opening of the school system to a younger student going to help establish aca- demic progress? That's arguable. •Those who support the recommen- dation believe it will help children advance by placing them in an envi- ronment where they can socialize witp,.,others their age, play and learn basic skills that will be advantageous when they enter a more structured classroom. What might be more rea- listic is that the young children will be so overwhelmed by the change to a school setting that it will take weeks to establish any kind of cur- riculum...if there is to be one at all. At such a critical stage of life, it would be unwise to place these fu- ture adults in the large school set- ting. The difference in both intelli- gence and maturity at this age among the under -four set is dramat- ic; and an ineffective blending of peers could also add further learning difficulty Tater in life, and devastate some individuals self-esteem. Canada was once the leader in ed- . ucation on the globe. Our programs and curriculum were second to none, our teachers among the most respect- ed in the profession., However, as we have witnessed over the past few years, that premier system has been whittled down by meddling govern - 'bents and ,.special interest groups. The curriculum has been directed away from the basics and the "whole language" model ruined the level of literacy among our students. All this has dramatically increased the level of frustration and .pressure in the classroom: both for teacher and stu- dent. We must ask ourselves, is this the best way to reach that premier level again? Kids need to be themselves at that stage in life. They need to be .to- tally , free to explore the . world around them and not restricted to a full=day classroom session. (The full-day model is the one that the pi- lot projects will test. Junior kinder- garten is a half-day program.) Three is awfully young to expect a child to remain in a structured classroom for six hours; and with the ever increas- ing teacher:student ratio, supervision also comes into question. , One must seriously question whether'the plan is designed to take the pressure off the day care system, or to enroll students at .a younger age. If Rae and his government were serious about the issue of day care and two -income families that rely on such services, he might consider more effective budget reforms that would allow more parents to stay home with their children. Or, at the very least, he might consider more adequate funding to create spaces for day care through more effective gov- ernment spending reforms to loosen up some of those tax dollars. Such a plan might even make a decent jobsOntario project, retrain- ing people to budget effectively and .giving them jobs within the NDP government. So far, they have proved they don't have anyone on staff that can do so. But back to the three -year-olds. To put them into a school setting, not just the classroom, but a school, a much bigger institution than a day care centre, with bigger kids and bigger fears doesn't make sense. Such a plan must he non - compulsory, and support for the more traditional day care centres be supported `for those families who feel uncomfortable packing up their three-year-old onto a school bus at the end of the laneway. There is no doubt our education system needs to examine its current direction. We need to regain some lost ground and consider the end product of that system. Most of all, we now need to find a way to convince the NDP to leave our three -year-olds alone and let them be kids for another year.