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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, M ay 3, 20 18 | 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 lpolar@miltoncanadiancham- pion.com or call 905-234-1019. CONTACT US VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague 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 April 23, 2018, will go down as one of the darkest days - perhaps the darkest day - in the history of Toronto. Never in living memory has Canada's biggest metrop- olis experienced the horrific and indiscriminate vio- lence that hit from out of the blue on Monday, when the driver of a rented van embarked on a three-kilometre rampage along a sidewalk that left 10 people dead and 15 others injured. What can be said with certainty, however, is that this cruel attack on people simply going about their daily lives will fill us all with grief, shock, incomprehension and, finally, resolve. Sorrow comes first, and it is for the innocent lives lost and damaged, for the searing pain felt by so many people and the pain that will linger, not only with the survivors but their families and friends. Next comes the shock that this atrocity happened in Toronto, which by any standard is a vibrant, global city with a laudably low crime rate. Toronto stands as a model of how a diverse, tolerant citizenry lives, works, plays and thrives in harmony. We know cars or vans have been used as weapons in cities such as Edmonton, Berlin, Paris and London, England. But we still somehow wonder how such car- nage could occur in Toronto. And that fuels the incomprehension. Yes, some relief comes from the preliminary reports that this was not a terrorist act. Unless and until au- thorities say otherwise, Toronto and Canada need not fear this is the start of an organized campaign of ideo- logically-inspired violence. But what if this turns out to have been the act of an alienated and dangerously deranged mind? Will that not feed existing fears that modern life is never quite safe enough despite our best efforts? Canada works hard to control guns. A rental van can prove lethal, too. But just as appropriate would be a defiant display of resolve. Toronto can be proud of how it acted collectively in the face of this tragedy. The first responders, especially the calm arresting officer, were admirable. But the whole city was, too. It might have seemed incongruous on Monday night to watch on TV the thou- sands of people cheering the Toronto Maple Leafs in a pivotal NHL playoff game after a brief, official acknowl- edgement of what had happened only a few kilometres away and a few hours before. Yet this was an inspiring example of how we must stop, mourn and then continue going forward, just as this city goes on. Weep for Toronto, but stand with its citizens Time to send Catholic trustees a message For many of us opposed to the new HCDSB fund- raising policy, it goes be- yond the merits of the pro- posal itself. It is about five of the nine trustees forcing this through to forward their own agenda. In doing so, they have contravened The Education Act, broken board policy and breached their own Code of Conduct. They refuse to listen to the concerns of constitu- ents and instead are imple- menting policy based on their own opinions and def- initions of Catholic morali- ty. This goes against every- thing they were elected to do. Some of these trustees are making this a pro-life issue and are galvanizing an extremist pro-life group (LifeSiteNews) to become involved in supporting this policy. This means many responses in support will not even be members of our HCDSB community. I am asking every par- ent, student, teacher, sup- port staff, ratepayer and anyone else who is con- cerned to make sure you provide your feedback by the deadline of 11:59 p.m. on June 1. The policy and feedback form can be found on the board website (hcdsb.org), or you may have received an email link. It is inten- tionally confusing and ver- bose. Proposed changes are in red. Feedback can simply be I do or do not agree. No reason is neces- sary but reasons including the policy is too complicat- ed to understand or not agreeing with the process are perfectly acceptable. All responses will be re- viewed and included in a board report given to the trustees as a public and of- ficial document. This is the only opportunity you have been given to have your voice heard. Please use it and ensure everyone you know uses theirs. The Board of Trustees is supposed to speak for us, be our voice and represent our opinions. Right now they are only representing their own. Our job now is to pro- vide feedback to this policy. Our job in October is to re- move these people from the board. Anne-Marie Jander Good Samaritan appreciated On Feb. 15 while walking my dog, I hit an icy patch and went down hard. A passing motorist stopped and helped me. He drove us home and then helped us into the condo building where we live. Having just returned from a one-month stint in the hospital and rehab, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to this gen- tleman (whose name I don't know) but who told me he lived on Charles Street. Thank you so much for your help and your kind- ness. It very definitely was greatly appreciated. Irene Green l MORE ONLINE Read all our published letters at theifp.ca • EDITORIAL • • LETTERS & COMMENTARY •