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J v PAGE A6 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ June 21,2006 Tim Whittaker Publisher Joanne Burghardt Editor-in-Chief Chris Bovie Managing Editor Fred Eismont Director of Advertising Eddie Kolodziejcak Classified Advertising Manager Kirk Bailey Distribution Manager Lillian Hook Office Manager Janice O'Neil, Cheryl Haines Composing Managers Todd Blayone Interactive Media Manager Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 ®f)c Cairahian Statesman Opinion | JUNE 21, 2006 durhamregion.com Phone 905-579-4400 Classifieds 905-576-9335 Distribution 905-579-4407 General Fax 905-579-2238 Newsroom Fax 905-579-1809 E-Mail newsroom@durhamregion.com 865 Farewell St., Oshawa ON L1H 7L5 Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 infodurhamregion.com EDITORIAL e-mail letters to ncwsrooni@durhamrcgion.com Province and school boards need to talk Funding . announcement has left too many unanswered questions There's more money in tire coffers coffers of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland Northumberland and Claringlon District School Board. 1 The $600 million funding announcement, last week, came with the message from Education Minister Sandra Pupatello that the funds will "support continued improvement for the province's ■ two million students." The Liberal government wants to ensure primary class sizes keep shrinking, reading, writing writing and math achievement keeps improving, and more high school students graduate, the ministry', announced. The goals set out by the Province Province are good ones. Higher student student achievement, including seeing seeing 75 per cent of 12-year-olds achieving the provincial standard in reading, writing and math by 2008, is a step in the right direction. direction. Setting out to create an environment environment where by 2010 85 per cent of high school students are graduating, is equally ambitious and a good goal. But the KPR board, must also keep in mind that in the future they may be called upon to do more with less because the board . is funded almost in direct proportion proportion to how many students they have and its ongoing enrolment is declining from year to year. According to Crystal Cummings, Budget Chairperson and Board 1 Vice-chairman, "The reality is that we must continue to look at how we can operate our schools in the most cost-effective way possible." Will this ensure the Province's goals are met? Possibly but there's much work to do. The same challenges face the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland Northumberland and Clarington District School Board. So with tire Province Province promising, two per cent more for transportation, that will help the board which currently transports ' approximately 10,484 students daily. But two per cent doesn't seem nearly enough. With 2010 time frame in mind, it's time for the government to : take serious steps forward in funding these initiatives to help support the schools in reaching these goals. Last week's funding announcements were basically the bare minimum and don't serve to set us on a path toward reaching those goals. It is up to the school boards however, to get in touch with the Province and get a meeting to discuss discuss how the funding envelopes have been shifted and tell the ministry how programs like transportation transportation will be affected now. The boards' hands are tied under the current setup, but they need to sit down with the provincial decision decision makers, and spell out exactly what their issues are and offer; solutions. BACKWARD GLANCE Flood washes out dam Photo supplied by Clarington Museum and Archives Bowmanville Creek Dam was washed out during a flood on Aug. 27,1986. The flood caused the loss of turbine power to the mill which generated its own electricity. saws 0M1MBOBWND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR e-maillctterstdncwsroom@durhamregion.com More questions need answering To the editor: Re: 'Bus driver fired after leaving leaving students alone 1 in bus', June 21 ' It was certainly disturbing to hear that three special needs kids were left on a parked bus. I'm very happy to hear that all were found to be in good shape. It was also disturbing to hear that the office worker (and fill-in driver) was 1 fired because of this. As usual, "you know what" flows downhill, More ques- , tions need to be answered. Who assigned this person as a driver for this run? Was he/she informed or. trained about these special needs people? If the answer , is "no" then I would ask Mr. Ing a few more questions. Terrence Lusby, Oshawa Error does not make 15-year employee bad To the editor: Re: 'Bus driver fired after leaving leaving students alone in bus', June 2! Like everyone who read this article I was shocked at what happened to three of the special-needs special-needs students. It must have been very difficult for everyone concerned. I am not downplaying the importance of what happened but I feel that terminating the employment of' a 15-ycar employee, in good standing, was a bit harsh. • This is not a bad person who purposely tried to hurt anyone but a normal hard-working lady who, while working in the capacity capacity that was not'her normal job, made a.terrible mistake. Most of us are given second chances and warnings without losing our livelihoods over our first careless action. She is not a threat to anyone as some crimi-. nal would be and could have, been kept in the office, as was her main job, and still been a valuable asset to the company and those who relied on her. I do not know the person I am writing about but know that lives and careers are made by people with compassionate loving loving hearts who make decisions knowing that they are just as human and imperfect as we are.. David O'Blenes, Oshawa Green bins have beën a waste of money in Clarington To the editor: Re: 'We should all embrace green compost program', editorial,'June editorial,'June 16 With regards to your recent editorial about the compost program, program, I have lived in Bowmanville Bowmanville since the green compost' program started and it's been a waste of time and money for the people of Bowmanville and the Region. For a start,'the green bins are too small and are only emptied every two weeks. So you just can imagine the smell they create create when they are sitting for two weeks at a time. It is worse in the summer with maggots and bugs everywhere. The Region would have been better off buying bigger bigger blue bins as they toti are only emptied every two weeks. The blue bins themselves create create too much mess as they are often over packed and on windy days paper and cardboard blows all over the streets. I would like to know how much money it cost the Region to buy the green bins? Most people I know say the green bins, make great beer coolers! coolers! So I hope the cities of Oshawa and Whitby think twice about wasting taxpayers' money on the green bins/beer coolers. Bobby McBride, Bowmanville LETTERS We welcome letters that include name, city of residence and phone numbers for verification. Writers are generally limited to 200. words and one . submission submission in 30 days. We decline announcements, poetry, open letters, consumer complaints, congratulations and thank you notes. The editor reserves the right to edit copy for length, style and clarity. The newspa-. per contacts only those people people whose submissions have been chosen for publication. FAX: 905-579-1809; E-MAIL: Newsroom ©durhamregion. com. Nuke announcement good news Would bring power to Ontario, jobs to Durham There is an air of cautious optimism optimism when you talk to local officials about the Ministry of Energy's announcement on new nuclear last week. Despite energy minister Dwight Duncan's cryptic wording, Clarington Clarington mayor Joint Mutton is almost sure the new reactors, which the Province lias indicated should be built at an "existing nuclear facility", will he built here, at the Ontario Power Generation-owned Generation-owned site next to l)ar- Jennifer Stone lington. It only makes sense, he points, out, There arc only two other reasonable choices, since the three sites in the Deep River area, which include two that have been mothballed and one that lias been decommissioned, don't make a lot of sense in terms of transmission transmission to (lie areas where (lie power is needed, Transmission is also an issue for the Bruce Nuclear Generating Generating Station, said the mayor. At Pickering, while there's the possibility for refurbishment of existing reactors, there's simply no room for new build, To be sure, nuclear brings witli it the issue of waste. But, while the waste is radioactive, (here is relatively little of it, and work is being done to make useful what's left in the spent fuel bundles. ■ And, there's always the possibility possibility of accident. But Ontario Power Generation and its predecessor, predecessor, Ontario Hydro, have been diligent in terms of ensuring public and environmental safely, and their track record shows it. There is one inargunble truth, and that is Ontario needs new, . large sources of power. Renew ables arc great, but can't be counted upon to provide enough reliable power, close enough to the areas that need it, to close Hie gap. Nuclear is the one safe, ■reliable, means of producing the massive amounts of power Ontario will soon need just to keep the lights on. Conservation, too, is key, and the government's collective feet should be held to llie fire to ensure saving power becomes as important as making making it.' It's not, as former energy minister Donna Canslicld said ■ recently, just a matter of slapping up new plants and Hipping all llie lights on. Conservation must become part of our culture. But, llie need is there and Claringlon Claringlon is die place to build the ' new reactors. The Municipality has benefited dramatically from having OPG as a neighbour. New nuclear would simply expand that benefit, with both construction construction and the finished new facility providing well-paid jobs in an area that needs them. It means a well-educated workforce dial lias shown, through the years, to be good corporate citizens, from die company sponsoring teams to llie employees coaching them, Clarington stands to. benefit greatly, should llie Province give us the nod. Let's hope die politicians politicians make a decision quickly, so (lie shovels can get into the ground, Reporter Jennifer Slone ,'v column appears every other Wednesday. E-mail jstone@diirliamrcpian. com. CLICK AND SAY Today's question: Do you think Fraser Institute Institute and Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) test results are a valid assessment of our schools? Yes No Cast your vote online at infodurhamregion.com Last week's question: Do you think more nuclear builds within Durham Region and possibly Clarington Clarington is a good thing? Yes 81.5% No 18.5% Votes cast: 455 HAVE YOUR SAY Do you think the building of more nuclear reactors in Durham Region and possibly possibly Clarington will solve our energy problems? Debbie Coles "A combination of nuclear alongside wind or solar would be beneficial." David Rempel "Yes, because it is needed. The population in southern Ontario is growing and we. need to generate some form of energy." Rachell Skinner "I would like to see more natural energy solutions." The Canadian Statesman is . one of the Metrolarid Printing, Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. The Statesman is a member of the Bowmanville Clarington Board of Trade, the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, Commerce, Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Circulations Circulations Audit Board and the Ontario Press Council. The publisher reserves the right to classify or refuse any advertisement, Credit for advertisement advertisement limited to space price error occupies. Editorial and Advertising content of the Canadian Statesman is ■ copyrighted. Unauthorized reproduction reproduction is prohibited,. îoiîî wi WINN I" it «■ ^cna Jpcna