The Citizen, 1997-10-01, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1,1997.
Letters
Writer says bait and switch stock-in- trade of flimflam man
THE EDITOR,
The provincial government is
embroiling the people of Ontario in
a social experiment of
unprecedented magnitude. No one
seems to know what the long-term
effect of the dissolution of
communities of interest
(municipalities and school boards)
and the dismantling of community
based services will be.
Are we going down the same
road as our American cousins? At
the beginning of September all the
public schools in New York City
(the new Toronto governance
model) were closed for health and
safety reasons, delaying the start up
date for students by three weeks. Is
our current reckless pursuit of
short-term gain, and the
Americanization of Ontario society,
being brokered with no thought to
the consequences?
The touted rationale, more
efficient and cost-effective
government services, is clearly
suspect.
Municipalities are slowly
awakening to the cost of
downloaded services. The true
financial picture can not be drawn
until municipal amalgamations are
complete. One government source
indicates that the province
envisions 50 "taxation delivery
agents" (read municipalities) in
Ontario. The remaking of local
government, with changed, and yet
unclear responsibilities, should ring
warning bells. The historical
partnership between the province
and local governments is
dissolving.
In the case of school boards, the
process is further along the road
than with the municipalities,
though not yet complete. When you
go to the polls for the municipal
election in November, as of today,
you will be electing school board
trustees with no mandate to
represent you, no taxation powers,
and no prescribed authority from
the province. An 'elected'
representation implies that there is
authority to represent the
'electorate'.
From my point of view, it would
have been more honest if the
province appointed the members to
the new school boards. I see no
perceptible difference from any
other provincial board; why pifetend
otherwise?
Every household in Ontario
received the paper "Putting
Children First". Left unsaid is that
one of these changes, which the
provincial government has always
had the legislated authority to do,
required the removal of your right
to local determination on the use of
property tax.
Premier Harris continues to tout
his promise of tax-relief and, in
particular, property tax relief for
education. The big question, as yet
Letter
Continued from page 5
Ontario?
No teacher in Ontario wants to
strike. Bill 160 is 162 pages of
deplorable legislation that reduces
students and teachers to pawns who
are at the mercy and whims of the
Minister of Education. This is not a
fight for higher salaries or better
benefits. It is a battle to save the
very heart and soul of public
education, the teaching profession,
and the future of almost every child
in Ontario. In that sense, it is
everyone's fight!
Mary Ann Cruickshank
President, District 45
Ontario Secondary School
Teachers’ Federation.
unanswered, is - how? So far his
track record is far from reassuring.
Remember his initial assurance that
he would remove education from
the property tax entirely? This was
the government's initial position to
legitimize the amalgamation of
school boards, reduce local
representation, and remove taxation
powers (for public schools). It
didn't happen. Instead of removing
education from the property tax
entirely, the government changed
its tune but continues to reiterate a
promise of property tax relief with
the province supposedly funding
half the cost of education in the
province - at a yet-unspecified
point-in-time.
Bait and switch are the stock-in-
trade of the flimflam man.
Did you know that very few
boards of education in Ontario are
self-sufficient? Most depend, to
varying degrees, on provincial
grants. In Huron County, the
province pays about half the cost of
educating Huron County students
through grants. Given that the
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province pays half the local share
of education in Huron County,
could that mean that the education
portion of your property tax bill
could remain the same? Could
Huron County's 'half be more than
what you currently pay with the
proposed harmonization of
property taxes across Ontario? I
won't be surprised, will you?
More damaging to our schools
and students is the prospect that
this government will fulfill its
promise of removing another
billion dollars from education in
order to make the local cost more
palatable. Leaving the local portion
of education taxes in Huron County
the same will not be technically
dishonest, but will you not feel
deceived?
The specter of the challenges that
face a disenfranchised populace,
denied the ability to manage local
affairs, locally, with the support of
property tax dollars does not bode
well for healthy communities in the
future.
I urge you to elect good people to
represent you and support efforts to
counter movements that will
ultimately lead to your
disenfranchisement. If you care
about democracy, don't allow your
municipality to go the way of your
school board. And, while you are
thinking about it, phone and thank
the folks who have struggled, on
your behalf, to manage the affairs
of your community for the past
Huron Geriatric Team starts Oct. 1
THE EDITOR,
Oct. 1, is the official start of the
Huron Geriatric Team (HGAT).
Since October 1995, the
Southwestern Ontario Regional
Geriatric Program has been
working with health providers in
the Seaforth-Goderich corridor to
improve local geriatric services.
The major focus was the
development of geriatric skills and
knowledge across a team of
dedicated Local health professionals
to serve as a resource for older
adults and their caregivers.
The team now consists of six
three years. You may not have
always agreed with their decisions
but were you there to help with
constructive criticism when they
needed community feedback?
Your local government belongs
to you. Where do you stand on its
demise? Responsible government
does not thrive in a vacuum.
Joan Van den Broeck
RR 4, Goderich.
registered nurses, one physio
therapist, one occupational
therapist and one social worker.
The team also benefits from the
commitment of Dr. Mark Woldnik
as part of the team.
Over the past year, the team has
been involved in intensive training
assessment skills in the identifi
cation of normal and/or adverse
aging changes. They also have the
expertise to identify effects of
aging on function and coping
abilities.
This has been accomplished
Continued on page 8