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Thursday, Septem ber 17, 2015 - The IFP - H alton H ills - w w w .theifp.ca Page 17 40-60% OFF SUMMER MERCHANDISE MILTON EDIBLE ARRANGEMENTS Milton Edible Arrangements! Derry Rd. & Ontario St. • 6B-575 Ontario St. S., Milton Ontario, L9T 2N2 Call Us Now! 905-636-0844 EveryWednesday is WEARE OPEN AND DELIVERING 7 DAYS AWEEK VISIT THE MILTON STORETO GETYOURSELF ATREAT New Exclusive Deal every Wednesday! Free Sample Day! Stop on by to try something new! 905-877-8888 118 Mill Street Unit 101 Georgetown, Ontario L7G 2C5 ♦ Treatment ♦ Counseling ♦ Support "I can see changes in people very quickly after they start on the program. In two or three weeks, their faces are brighter, their mood is better, they are turning their lives around" COVERED BY OHIP COVERED Help is available. Call Today! Georgetown Pharmacy www.georgetownpharmacy.ca Angelo Dias Pharmacy Manager 905-877-8888 angelo@georgetownpharmacy.ca 118 Mill Street, Unit 101 Georgetown ON L7G 2C5 Monday to Friday 9:00am to 7:00pm Saturday 9:00am to 4:00pm Sundays and Holidays 10:00am to 2:00pm COMMENT Every year for the past five years, The Sidekick and I have had a standing date the Friday after Labour Day. It's the Agricultural Education tent at George- town Fair. Better known as the 'Ag-Ed' tent, the program is organized by fair board volunteers, as they set up numerous displays in the tent, to be used as a teaching device for Grade 3 students from local schools. The tent has livestock of all sorts, including sheep, dairy cattle, alpacas, pigs, goats, donkeys, apple orchards, beekeeping and a great display of small farm implements to teach the kids about the various crops and seasons on the farm. To say it's a massive project would be an un- derstatement, as countless volunteers invest sev- eral days, setting up the tent, assembling pens and bringing in the animals, not to mention making sure they are fed and watered for the duration of the fair. The Sidekick and I present the sheep display, giving the students an opportunity to learn the ba- sics about sheep and lambs. I have to admit, we get off pretty easy, com- pared to other presenters in the program. We simply land in Friday morning, set up our display, which is provided by Ontario Sheep Mar- keting Agency (OSMA), and wait for the kids to ar- rive. The sheep for the display are already brought in, as our flock of sheep is biosecure, meaning it's a 'closed flock.' If they were to be on display with other animals at the fair, we can't take them back to the farm, as they could infect our animals at home. Through the kind consideration of another lo- cal shepherd, the sheep are already there when we arrive. So it's pretty easy-peasy. Other presenters don't have it that easy, and they must bring in their animals and be respon- sible for their welfare. It involves a lot of work and commitment, but all of the presenters do it, quite willingly, just for the comfort of knowing a group of students will have a much better concept of where their food comes from. But when we arrived at the tent Friday morn- ing, we learned there was a dramatic change of plans. There were virtually no kids. Instead of a dozen classes of Grade 3 students preparing to learn about agriculture, we had two classes. One from the Catholic board, the other from Halton Hills Christian School. Apparently, the night before, the Ag-Ed or- ganizer decided it might be a good idea to check with the schools, to confirm they'd be coming. She hadn't heard anything from them, and thought that was a bit strange. To her dismay, she learned of the change of plan. The teachers and the public board of educa- tion are in the midst of contract negotiations, and as a result, extracurricular activities are on hold. Translation: no school trips to the Ag-Ed tent. Now I know how unions and management work. I used to be in a union. I didn't always agree with my union, and occasionally, I actually ig- nored the union line. Generally, any job action taken by manage- ment or the union is implemented for the sole purpose of putting pressure on the other side of the bargaining table, to bring about a settlement. I get it-- that's labour negotiations. But when a group of Grade 3 students are de- nied the opportunity to learn something new and fun, not to mention the efforts organizers have put into mounting the program-- well ya gotta won- der about the priorities of those calling the shots. Bottom line, the kids are impacted. I don't see a lot of sympathy for the teachers and their contract-- especially among those vol- unteers who were standing in the Ag-Ed tent Fri- day morning. I'm pretty sure the AG-Ed tent will be back next year, and The Sidekick and I, along with countless other presenters, will return to enjoy sharing our knowledge with the Grade 3 students. I only hope the teachers and the board get their contract settled, between now and then. A Ted Bit Getting those priorities right By Ted Brown tedbit@hotmail.com