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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, Ju ly 26 ,2 01 8 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper 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 WHO WE ARE Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Steve Foreman Retail Advertising Manager Cindi Campbell Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Regional Manager Digital Content Karen Miceli Distribution Representative Iouliana Polar Classified/Real Estate Kristie Pells Regional Production Manager Manuel Garcia Production Shelli Harrison Halton Media General Manager Vicki Dillane Regional Director of Media Holly Chriss CONTACT 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, con- dense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail lpolar@miltoncana- dianchampion.com or call 905- 234-1019. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFP.CA EDITORIAL It should be no surprise that Ontario's new Progres- sive Conservative government scrapped the two-year-old sex-education curriculum and reverted back to a previ- ous, outdated one crafted 20 years ago - before Google, cellphones and sexting. The change is a reward by Premier Doug Ford to the vocal religious groups and socially conservative family organizations - who helped him win the PC leadership race - that believe teaching sex should be done behind closed doors with little information provided. These social conservative groups have been embolden since 2010 when then-premier Dalton McGuinty backed off introducing an updated sex-education curriculum after the success of their virulent campaign of misin- formation. When former premier Kathleen Wynne's government installed its sex education curriculum to assist youths navigate the perils of society, these groups accused the government of pursuing a "gay agenda" led by a lesbian. Despite the hysterical accusations, the Liberals did conduct a full and in-depth consultation process involv- ing about 4,000 parents, principals, educators, police, academics, students, and a variety of organizations, including the Children's Aid Societies and Centre for Addition and Mental Health. The 1998 sex-education curriculum, which the Ford government had deemed the policy directive for youth starting this September, contains no mention of sex in- volving anything other than a penis and a vagina. It is retro political ideology gone mad, flying in the face of today's reality. The sex-education curriculum that was scrapped provided youths with essential information to at least deal with online pornography, the risks of sexting and photo sharing, how to stand up to cyber bullying, how to respond to uncomfortable situations, how to grow up with a clear understanding of consent in sexual situa- tions and urges abstention or at least a delay in sexual activity. It also promotes diversity and inclusiveness, espe- cially in a transforming society where a youth may have two mothers or two fathers. The curriculum is not a how-to manual, as some irate and misinformed socially conservative groups may say, but a harm-reduction docu- ment that educates, informs and includes. Education Ministry Lisa Thompson and her parlia- mentary assistant, the socially conservative Niagara West PC MPP Sam Oosterhoff, say they will consult with Ontario parents with the idea of establishing a new cur- riculum in September 2019. But the PCs are in no hurry to review the sex education curriculum when they al- ready have a document in place that is a detriment to youths as they try to learn about a complicated world. IDEOLOGY OVER REALITY Imagine having to choose between buying diapers and food or paying the rent and hydro bill. In Halton, there are more than 13,500 children living in low income households, re- presenting 10.5 per cent of all children in our community. That is one in 10 kids living in poverty right here in our neighbourhoods. This is why organiza- tions like the Halton Poverty Roundtable (HPRT) are so important. Our members are regional change-makers who are challenging the complexity of poverty in our community. We work to shed light on all aspects of poverty and highlight the re- ality of poverty in our neigh- bourhoods. Through con- necting, educating and act- ing together, we aim to reach the ultimate goal of elimi- nating poverty in Halton. Over the course of the past eight years, the HPRT has been involved in raising public awareness on issues ranging from social assis- tance reform, to increasing awareness on available housing supports, to the suc- cessful inclusion of commu- nity benefits in publicly- funded infrastructure pro- jects directly impacting low- income residents. Poverty looks different in every community, and Hal- ton is no exception. Poverty is a complicated topic to define, but even harder to solve. Halton resi- dents living in poverty often have unstable employment, insecure and unaffordable housing, are food insecure, face chronic health issues, experience financial barri- ers to post-secondary educa- tion, and face social exclu- sion due to the gap that ex- ists between the highest and lowest income earners in our community. A family of four with two adults work- ing full time must earn a minimum of $17.95 an hour to pay for the basic necessi- ties of life so they can live with dignity and participate as active citizens in our soci- ety. Many in our community have to decide between pay- ing their rent, buying fresh food for their children, and paying for necessary medi- cation. Halton Poverty Roundta- ble believes that everyone in our community should be adequately housed, with enough income to meet the most basic standard of liv- ing, allowing everyone to eat properly, live with less stress and engage with community supports. If you, or someone you know, want to become more involved in achieving our vi- sion of 'No Neighbour in Need' please check out our website at www.haltonpov- ertyroundtable.com or on twitter @HaltonPovertyRT. Sarah Sabihuddin is the Halton Poverty Roundtable director of community en- gagement. POVERTY IS A REALITY HERE IN HALTON MORE THAN 13,500 CHILDREN LIVE IN LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS, WRITES SABIHUDDIN SARAH SABIHUDDIN Column