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Page 6, Whitby Free Press, Wecinesday, May 17, 1995 The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whîtby resîdents for Whîtby resîdents! MEMBER 0F: CANADIAN O NTARIO COMMUNITY VRFI CO MMUNITY NEW$PAPER CRUAIN NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION ISSN#0844-398X The Whitby Free Press is distributed free to 99% of the homes in Whitby, Brooklin, Ashburn & Myrtie as well as numerous public and commercial outiets in Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering & Port Perry. 27,500 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE Canada $34 + GSI - Outside Canada $80 + GST Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Imc. Box 206, 131 Brock St. N., Whitby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-.6111 Out of town: 1-800-668-0322 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Pubisher Maurice Pifher - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 20% O recycled content using vegetable based inks. Il c Ail written material, illustrations and advertising contalned herein is protected by copyright. Any reproduction by any means for commercial purposes without the express permission of the newspaper is prohibited and is a violation oft Canadian copyright Iaw. Reproduction for non-commercial distribution should bear a credit mie to the Witby Free Press. Frustrated Copy of latter 10 Richard Allen, Minister 0f Housing Deor Mr. Allen: The Ritchia-Durhamn Non- Profil' Housing Corporation wiil not bé getting an allocation under Wave 3 o fjobsOntrioHomas. Wa ara sdenad and indaad frustratad by this news. The makoup of our board includes a majority of individuais who have ex)perianced homalessnass directiy. As a board, we are dedicated 10 housing individuals in Durham Region who are homalèss or deaîing with severe housing crisis. A thoug h Ibis groIup has traditionally been sean as "hard 10 bouse," Ibeir nead is both immediata and extrema. We have, iii recent years, worked closaly with threa local agancies -- the YWCA, lb. Canadian Mental Healtb Association and Cornerstone Communily Association. Their data indicates 10 us that there are almost 2,000 people who use their services annualiy .who could be described as homeless or in sevara housing crisis. Furtharmore, 1,500 of thesa individuals ara orlginaliy firm Durham Ragion. The remainder ara attampting 10 relocate in Durham, ottan for aconomic reasons. In 1h. face of, Ibis tramendous nead we feal that we must declare our frustration wilh this recent turn of avents. As a resul of a Partners in Houslng grant we receivad a yaar ago, our group did a study 0f varlous Models that have been succassfully usad 10 housa homneless people. W. carefuliy put together two proposaIs which wera subiltad under jobsOntarioHomes, Waves .2 and 3. W. beliave wa met 1he critaria of 1h. program. Furthermore, w. have largaled a group that la not baing housad by 1h. vast majority of other non-profit housing provlders., The Ritchia-Durbamn copration is an organization maeup of a majority of people who hava exparianced h elesess personaly Wa did aitethesupport wa received from your ministry 10 do the study -of effective modals for housing this population. But wa sea our task as much more than an academic exercisa. Wa exist 10 advocata for those who are homeless. We also axist 10 creata housing as a responsa 10, their homelessness. We asic you and your governmant 10 raconsider your response 10 our proposai. This is not 10 say that any oCher group that* received an allocation under JobsOntarioH-omes isany Iass desarving than we are. We are simpiy saying that there i9 a need that must be responded 10. Kelth Durham Sacretary Honesty appreciated To 1he adltor: A Ibousand Ihank-you's la tb. honest persan who found my walIet in Loblaws on Garden Street and turned il in ta 1h. counitar, intcact, without so much as removing a $5 bill for bis/bar trouble. Those wbo hava bost purses or wallets and bad themn retumed wil understand tb. immense relief 1 feil 10 gel back my cradit cards, medical carda and my drivers licence. But aven more important was tb. realization Ibat in a world bent on self-destruction througb bale and greed, thera ara still kind and considerata people about, sucb as th. residents in lb. Netbalands, and tb. persan wbo returned my waîlet. Azel A.Gusst Whltby To the edtor: i amn writing in response 10 the viewpoint article (lEducatlonei enrichment') thae appeared in May 3 edition of The Free Pres. This article by Paul Pagnuelo of the Ontario Taxpayars Federatoon gave a vary distorted view regarding aducation. Mr. Pagnuelo is correct abot the number of hours spant wit children in the cîassroom. Hi however, gives no value 10 1h hours spent marking books, tests and projacts, praparin!g lssons, setting exams, organizing ciass outings, coaching teams, rehearing for plays, concerts, choirs and bands, and running activity clubs for students fromn photography, 10 chess, 10 yearbooks and folk dancing. Heaiaso neglects 10 include: meat the taachar nights, open houses, and avening parant advisory meetings, ail of which are attanded by staff. Than thare ara the report card interviews, graduations and schooi dancas. There was no mention of ovamnight trips, incîuding the Grade 6 outdoor aeducatdion camp where teachers ara on' duty without a break for up 10 53 hours. During aIl of these voiuntary activities, the teacher receives no additional pay. Thase extra miles ara takan on by teachers bacausa thay are keenly aware of the value of out-of-ciassroon learning axperiancas. In Durham schoois, thousands of children happiiy return home daiiy with sticicers and rewards for thair day's work. Much of Ibis is providad from the taachar's own pocket. Teachars racogniza the need for thase incentives and have bougbt them 10 encourage and positively reinforce the studants in their car. Ralaiing our salary ta just ciassroom ltime cîearly indicates a iack of undarstanding whai actualîy occurs at your local echool. If you drive by any Durham schooî ai 8 a.m., you would notice teachers already ad work and ai 4:30 p.m., you'd stilI find tham thara working onlssn, coaching or marking. From the second weekend in Saptember until the third weakand in June, tbare is aiways some athlatic tournament or cultural competition talcing place in which Durham students are being coachad by teachers on their own lime. «Gold-plaiad benefit planse that are raportad 10 ba ownad by teachers do not coma close 10 those of our.naighbours working at General Mtors or Ontario Hydro. The tact is, teachers whose spouses 'are employed ai thesa locations do not use the'teachers' benef il package due to ils inferlor options. Yes, Mr. Pagnuelo, we do màke the salary you stated for the classroom hours we spend with the children, but the extra 400 to 500 hours put in by teachars must By Paul Pagnualo The Ontario Taxpayers Federatlon In lb. upcoming Ontario alaclion, 1he nead for and tb. publi's abiliily 10 support govarnmant daycara must b. dabatad. As lb. province sinks deaper mbt debt, more and more of our scarca dollars ara baing diverted Iowards what aventually may bacome a complet. govermaent- run daycare system. The abiliiy of privai., independant. child car. oparators 10, remain in business is being jeopardizad by proposais tbhe affectivaly will squeeze lhamn out of 1h. markeat. Ovar the last four yaars, Ontario taxpayers have sean thair pay cheques shrink bacause of bighar taxes going 10 fund theb. lotd costs of th. province's daycare program. Since fiscal 1989/1990, spending . on daycare by lb. Ministry of Community and Social Services has increased by 55 par cent, from about $290 million ta $450 million. Going back aven furt her la f iscal 1986/87, Ontario's spending on daycare bas skyrocketed by 244 par cent. But aven Ibis doesn' tell11tlb whole story. FaderaI grants and lb. cosis incurred by municipalities aren't included in lb. Ontaio abats. And in recant yaars, the true cost of daycare bas been further clouded because of jobsOntario grants that are funding lb. capital cost of constructing and expanding non-profil ca-ycara facilities. According la Judith Preston af the Association of Daycare Operators of Ontario, more Iban 20 par cent of lb. jobsOntarlo manies granlad 19 consumred by' alob. worth sométhing Ontario teachers dediate many long, hard, rewarding hours to their students. Don't shortohange us wth inaccurate articles. Bill Butcher President Ontario Public School Toachers' FoderatIon, Durhamh Districit lbe administration. Privai.- operators on 1h. othar hand, use their own capital for- construction, ranovaitlons and additions. Preston says private daycara wilI b. wiped off the map if the province implements recom- mandations now under consideration. By moving la incoma tasting 10 determine aligibility for subsidy, parents MiI b. forcad into non-profil daycara, sidalining privai.- oparators in th. procass. Another recommandation lb. governma.nt is considering would sea a mova away from ,fa. assistance for families in naed 10, what is refarrad 10 as the base funding of programs. This wiII put in place a subsidy 10 avery user of 1h. systam, ragardlass of incoma and abiiity 10 pay. And parants would no longer h ave Ihair choice of daycara faciily, as thay do today where privai and non-profils co-exist. The wasta and inafficiency of governimant operatad programs is most visible wben comparad against 1h. entrepreneurial motive 0f privai. oparators. Along wilh tripla digil growth in spending on daycare, 1h. province spant $4.1 million batwaen Dacember 1991 and 1994 10, bail out 259 non-profil centres. Anoîher 217 wera closed. In the same pariod 157 privai., for-profit daycare cpntras closad. Non. of 1he privata operalors receivad financial belp. By th. end of February, 72 indapandantiy operalad cbild cara businassas, operaiing 94 child cara centres or 5,479 spaces, bava been convarted 10 non-profit status ad a cost of $1,800-2,200 par space. Taxpayars and parants ara b.ing forced la support 'a govarnmant pmograms tbay nethar nead nor want. 'Distortedl view' of teachi1ng To the edItor: Daycare i nefficient To the editor... 1 Viewpoint 1