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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, D ec em be r 14 ,2 01 7 | 6 The Georgetown Independent & Free Press, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corpora- tion. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. The Independent & Free Press is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca newsroom@theifp.ca IndependentAndFreePress @IFP_11 ABOUT US The Independent & Free Press 280 Guelph Street, Unit 77 Georgetown, ON L7G 4B1 Phone: 905-873-0301 Classifieds: 905-234-1016 Fax: 905-873-0398 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail ssoles@metroland.com or call 905-234-1019. CONTACT US Publisher Neil Oliver General Manager Steve Foreman Retail Advertising Manager Cindi Campbell Regional Managing Editor Chris Vernon Regional Managing Digital Editor Robyn Wilkinson Distribution Representative Iouliana Polar Classified/Real Estate Kristie Pells Regional Production Manager Manuel Garcia Production Shelli Harrison WHO WE ARE OPINION About half a million students were impacted by the longest community college strike in Ontario's history. No doubt many are wondering exactly what was ac- complished by the faculty walkout that shuttered pro- grams for more than a month. In legislating teachers back to work, a process de- layed by the NDP in a transparent bid to score political points with labour unions, the government determined that binding mediation/arbitration will settle the dis- pute. What that means for the contentious issues, such as precarious work and the loss of full-time positions, no one knows. Typically in this province, a labour dispute involving teachers revolves around wages, no matter how dire the 'it's about quality education' messaging. But this one is different. Different, because if things don't change, the ability of our community college system to continue to deliver skilled workers into Ontario's economy could be signif- icantly compromised. In recent years, funding has been cut for post-second- ary education at both the federal and provincial levels. Ontario has the dubious honour of ranking last in public per-student post-secondary funding in Canada, even as enrolment declines. College administrators, who must balance their bud- gets, have responded to this reality by acting as many corporate leaders might - replacing outgoing full-time staff with cheaper part-timers. The full-time college professor is now an endangered species in Ontario. The union estimates that 70 per cent of college faculty are part-time workers. It's anyone's guess how high that percentage will eventually rise. Staffing schools with part-timers who fear for their jobs doesn't sound like a recipe for top-notch education. Then there's the issue of academic freedom, another sticking point in this dispute. It stands to reason that students attending a post- secondary institution would expect their professors to guide and assess student achievement. Yet, OPSEU reportedly has thousands of examples of administrators overturning grades and mandating out- dated (cheaper?) resources, said faculty negotiator J.P. Hornick. Now, a ray of hope did emerge in the form of a prom- ised task force to address these concerns. But is the government prepared to do more than talk? Early this year, a PricewaterhouseCooper's consul- tant's report indicated that unless creative solutions are found, our college system is headed for massive debt, program cuts, and a decline in the quality of education. Sitting back in the hope that an influx of mature students will reverse enrolment trends, as the province has been content to do, is not leadership. Ontario needs a comprehensive strategy to salvage its community college system. Funding cuts plague college system Ted Arnott misses the mark on climate change When it comes to fight- ing climate change, Onta- rio needs a realistic ap- proach that balances ac- tion with affordability. Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott's com- ments in this paper demon- strate a lopsided view of our approach. His view illustrates the Conservatives are missing the big picture when it comes to how Ontario is fighting climate change. Worse, his party's sim- plistic alternative - a costly and ineffective carbon tax- would actually cost more, not fight climate change, and place a growing finan- cial burden on families and businesses. The latest analysis from the prestigious EnviroEco- nomics organization re- veals our plan is almost three times more effective in reducing greenhouse gas - yet costs only half as much as the one MPP Ar- nott proposes. It shows that our plan will reduce GHG pollution by 82.2 Metric Tons (MT) by 2022, while the Conserva- tive's scheme will reduce emissions by a measly 28.8 MT. That's not good enough for our children's future. Our plan guarantees GHG pollution reductions through a constantly re- duced cap on the green- house gases businesses can belch into the air. Every year, businesses must meet the cap. With a carbon tax, there are no guaranteed pollu- tion reductions - but ex- perts warn life is guaran- teed to be more expensive for all of us. Every dollar collected through the province's cli- mate change program must, by law, be invested in projects that fight climate change in communities across Ontario. In 2017, Ontario raised $1.9 billion through our "cap and invest" policy. What does this mean for Ontario families? It means we are cutting greenhouse gas pollution, and other harmful contam- inants, while also investing billions in modernizing our hospitals, improving social housing, upgrading our schools, making cy- cling safer and electric ve- hicles a more common site, supporting Indigenous communities, and bringing our businesses and indus- try to the forefront of the new, low-carbon economy. Chris Ballard, Minister of Environment and Climate Change l MORE ONLINE Read all our published letters at theifp.ca • EDITORIAL • • LETTERS & COMMENTARY • Letters to the Editor See what our readers are saying about the issues that matter to them. www.theifp.ca/letters