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Wednesday October 23 1991 the HERALD Peoples Forum Daycare woes frustrating Editors Note The following letter was released to the Halton Hills herald for publication Ministry Of Community and Social Services Suite Mississauga Ontario Attention Sue Stephen Dear Ms Stephen As a mother I would like nothing better than to be able to stay at home with my two sons Unfortunately as with most families today my husband and must rely on two incomes to make ends meet A major problem is finding good reliable daycare which of fers a loving environ ment as well as being affordable I have been fortunate enough to have had a private caregiver for my sons since my oldest was months old now 3Mz years old She is a former neighbour of years and I can honestly say she is more than competent Before we knew each other I would watch her in the backyard playing with the children this was prior to her caring for my son Also noise levels were never a problem I was extremely upset today when my caregiver advised me that she had had a visit from you the authorities and you had notified her that she was canng for too many children and must let some go If you are going to limit the number of children a private daycare operator can cart for you together with the town must give us affordable alternatives There are very few daycare tres in town and I doubt any of them would be willing to care for my youngest son 11 months old I dont believe it is fair of you to just walk in blindly and enforce your rules when you have no idea how efficiently the caregiver operates In my case she is a very organized qualified and loving woman who spends as much time with each child as any parent able to stay at home would in fact in some cases probably more In my opinion I would rather have my children watched by somebody who looks after them well and has a number of other children for mine to in teract with than with someone who cares for one or two others but doesnt give them the alien hey require As a result of your rules I am forced to look for a new caregiver who offers all the at tributes of my present caregiver and is also affordable The hardest thing by far will be to tell my son that he can go there any longer He has grown very attached to his pre sent caregiver and all of the play mates he has grown up with there He is so used to seeing them everyday and talks to us about them each night Try to ex plain to a 3A year old how the authorities arbitrarily decided to uproot him from the daily schedule he is so used to I would also like to say something to the person responsi ble for calling the authorities I would really like to know who this person is first of all But the next time you consider reporting something like this take a minute and think about what you really know about the situation Consider how you are turning a childs world upside down If children are obviously being neglected then by all means report that person but if you have no valid reason except maybe spite or being a disgruntl ed neighbor leave It alone Dont disrupt another families life as you have done to mine To you the authorities a suggestion Instead of automatically enforcing your rules on private caregivers you know nothing about maybe you should do several spot checks and base your decision on facts instead of your strict guidelines I would appreciate a response from you regards to this letter Yours Mrs Cathy GrahamSmith Georetown A grandmothers sad lament Dear Editor A grandmother sits in tears as she hears her granddaughter cry ing The parents have told her not console her for she has to learn this lesson The child has been What is free trade Dear Editor Free trade is free trade isnt it Not when one compares free trade in the European Communi ty and Canada and The USA In December of 1992 all internal trade barriers will be destroyed in the EC countries This means that ALL GOODS will move free ly between countries Services will also move freely such as banking etc This could result in cheaper loans in some countries The WIDE DIFFERENCES in INDIRECT TAXES between member states will be eliminated Putting savings into other countries to maximize return will be less expensive Once a product has met the standards set down in any coun try the product will be freely moved into any country Compare this with Canada and the USA Trade barriers are coming down for some- products This may take many years Customs here are strengthened to STOP the free flow of goods NO CANADIAN GOVERN MENT will even admit that tax is distorting purchasing patterns Everyone knows it is Standards in the USA and ours are jealously guarded as each country wants the job creation caused by this and the fees charged for approval Banking services no way does the banking community want free competition between tries If they did the government would want to control it Indirect taxes as seen by our government should have no effect on the cost of a product We can all dream So like I said free trade what free trade when you compare what goes on in the real world Libertarian taken freom a room she fell secure in and a bed which was safe to her This new strange place is a terror for her What most adults dont realize is thai everyday moves for us are verj fearful for children in some cases And this was one The child is years old the cry has changed to a scream The parents and grandmother go intc the room to finally console her Her naps during the day are the same She is fine if someone is her sight As her mother move about during the day the child tags close behind for fear of loos ing sight of her I get to observe a traditional night in putting her to bed She screams for about 1C minutes till your nerves are at the end Her father and I enter the room and she turns down the cry When grandma enters the cry stops the eyes light up and the face says here comes love and comfort The child stands up and nestles her head into grandma chest The grandmother turns to me with her eyes filled with tears and with feelings of the past in her voice she says You know they just don t understand why it hurts me so to hear this child cry like that She is in sheer terror and I see her mother through her tears When her mother came to us she was four years old The welfare office came into the hotel room holding her hand she then let go and turned around walking out the door Not so much as even in traducing me to the child She dumped her We had never seen each other before I feel and remember what she was going through every time I hear her daughter cry She went from foster home to foster home long before she came into our love The tears she must have cried the fear she must have felt She had no one to console her with love and security until my band and I came along To all parents think and feel when your child cries for help Judy Error acknowledged Dear Editor Bill Hyde acknowledges an in my campaign literature distributed in Moore Park and Ewing Street The situation calls for an explanation because the error was blown out of all propor tion by an incensed Council on Tuesday night Council were infuriated that Hyde s campaign literature criticized the process of govern in Town The main issue hinged around a mistake Hyde made in calculating the average 1991 General Municipal Mill Rate The average is a blending of the Urban and Rural rates ac cording to the household mix Hyde missed the blending com and as a result Tables and 2 of his literature are reel for the 1991 data This turn meant much of the com parative data was wrong Hyde had submitted his Tables to Treasurer Ray King on September 26 band acknowledg ed his error on being so informed by the Treasurer October 11 Hyde corrected the tables ac cording to ue main objections raised He acknowledged his er ror to Council October 15 but they would have none of it The focal point was the 1991 Municipal Rale which Hyde quoted as per cent instead of the correct 2 per cent Hyde maintained the 5 2 per cent the question since the average rate increase since 1985 has been 7 per cent Hyde was accused of maligning the good Treasurer and it was resolved to send his Tables to the auditor presumably to decide on a suitable penance In 1985 the rate was 59 99 1986 56 83 1988 7383 1989 89 18 and Error Line The Error Line represents the unblended number paid by per cent of the Town Calculate the average increase per year since and the increase over Don t be surprised by the results Hyde is committed to manag by managing the information not to frame emote over or defy it This remains his quest Thank you for the opportunity of setting the record straight Yours very truly Bill Hyde Youth alternative Dear Editor With the recent influx of crimes and violence with todays youth it that there is a lack of actiilles for this group Frightening but true this violence Is not just in the big like Toronto but is appear ing in our own quiet little town Georgetown was most recently shown this as a youth was lacerated as he along with his friends were walking downtown What a scary thought I thought events like this only occurred in other places and never in Hallon Hills Where can youth go to en joy activities with friends without a worry for personal safety At this time the Town of Halton Hills Recreation and Parks Department is offering a pro gram every Wednesdaj night until Dec 4 from 7 to 9 p m Our Activily Night is an ing where youths in grades 6 and can enjoy many different activities like volleyball basket ball movie nights swimming bowling and dinners out with their peers It is located at Ecole Sacre Coeur in Georgetown and our reasonable price of S3 per makes this program both accessible and affordable to almost everyone Our reliable leaders Sarah Hobbs and Ryan Brain make each evening fun and entertain For more information about this program parents or children can call the Recreation and Parks Department at 268 Doing our part to make Hills a bit safer for everyone Sincerely Dee Dee Youth Activ Night Coordinator Recreation and Parks Department Overwhelmed by support To the Editor I wish to thank all of you who during the Thanksgiving Week donated over 880 pounds of food to the Acton The need is great throughout the year but it is especially felt during the holiday times Once more with your help we were able to fulfill the needs of those who did require the Food- share We have been overwhelmed by the support of our communities Again our sincere thanks Joan Acton Construction association expresses delight Dear Editor Re Greening of Georgetown Marketplace We would like to join R A in expressing delight with the greening of Guelph Street The trees and landscaping in front of Loblaws Plaza are cer a major step in creating an attractive streetscape We understand that these im provements are part of a long- term program initiated three years ago by the Town of Halton Hills Site Plan Committee The Committee members Mayor Russ Miller and Regional Coun cillors Rick Bonnette Joe Hewitt Johnston and Marilyn Sergeantson specifically re quired these improvements before any further development would be permitted on this pro perty The Site Plan Committee is an part of the Towns stnngent planning requirements R A I D is right in highlighting this as an example of development which benefits all of Halton Hills We wish to join them with our congratulations to the developer the Town of Hills and the members of the Towns Site Plan Committee for a job well done Yours truly Don Ricciuto President Halton Hills Construction Association Serious misconceptions are addressed Dear Sir Recently Colin the editor of this paper and I had a discussion about the upcoming election We like most people did not agree on all issues however some serious misconceptions that are probably shared by others were drawn to light As an active member of several ratepayer groups I can state there is no organized slate of ratepayer candidates This was considered but abandoned for the same reason that party politics has not taken hold in most municipalities First time candidates are not necessarily inexperienced Many bring qualifications from the private sector that may even ex ceed the demands of the elected post Likewise 27 years in office does not necessarily mean quali ty It could be at the other ex just one years experience 27 times Local interest groups often form when there is a degree of dissatisfaction in the perception of the way a town is being run To my knowledge there could be as many as 20 ratepayer groups in Halton Hills Hearsay associates some new candidates as having only one issue The same logic may place an incumbent too close to a single sector of the community such as the development industry All those now in office are not tainted just as the current crop of hopefuls are not all saints The current police investiga tion into possible wrongdoing by elected officials exists It cannot be ignored Smoke does not always mean open flames It could be smoldenng manure No charges have been laid There have been no convictions This in vestigation has placed a cloud of suspicion over some of the in cumbents To say this is right or wrong fan or unfair is rhetoric and does not change the situation The investigation into the Land Division Committee two years ago did not provide all the answers and neither will this one Mr Pomeroy stated with regard to the investigation that some bad decisions were made and some may not appear ethical despite being legal The best vote is an informed vote If you have a question ask your candidate Heshe is coming to your door There are public meetings and they do have phones Makeup KitWoode