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OPINION Catholic board decision puzzling The Halton Catholic District School Board's decision last Tuesday to opt out of the Halton Regional Campus Plan is puzzling to say the least. The board dropped out of this innovative cost-saving initiative during a bizarre school board meeting. At that meeting, Burlington Trustee Bob Van de Vrande presented two motions-- the first of which was to approve the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) hammered out between all four partners in the project-- and then voted against those motions. When the motions ended in identical 4-4 tie votes, the Catholic school board's participation in the Halton Regional Campus scheme was effectively over. For the record, Halton Hills Trustee Irene McCauley voted against the proposal. The Catholic board would have probably benefited the most from the `super centre' shared administration facility between the Catholic board, Halton Region, Halton Regional Police and the Halton District School Board. Of all four partners, the Catholic board is operating in the most outdated and cramped administration facilities. Although the centre will cost about $127-million to build, the overall savings to the taxpayers of Halton would be about $20 million. As it stands now, the other three partners in the campus plan still intend to proceed with the plan, which is still in its early planning stages. Which makes the Catholic board's decision all the more puzzling. All the board members were being asked to approve Tuesday was the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) it has with the other partners in the project. This was not a binding agreement, but an expression of the participants' intent to proceed with the Campus. The Catholic board could have pulled out afterwards if they felt uncomfortable with the project. According to Catholic Board Chair Al Bailey, they are not in line for any provincial funding to build a new administration facility and after turning down the campus plan, we can't see the province rewarding the Catholic board with more money to spend on a new facility. Our only hope is that a new slate of trustees might feel differently about the Campus plan after the November election. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Acton April cancer campaign a success Dear editor, Although all the figures are not in yet, I can tell that this year's April campaign for the Canadian Cancer Society will be very successful. The Acton branch would like to give a huge thank you to all the zone captains, captains and canvassers for making this possible. To all of you who were new canvassers this year, I hope the experience was a positive one. To those who are part of the "veteran army" thank you for saying yes when called upon. There are many deserving charities that are asking for donations all year long but obviously the Canadian Cancer Society is important to many of our residents and by knocking on their doors you gave them the opportunity to give. One of our major goals this year was to canvass the new subdivision behind Sobeys. All but four routes were covered and it was a very successful venture. It is a huge subdivision and our new residents were very generous. Hopefully a few more residents will volunteer next year. The Honeyfield subdivision had an exceptional second year and the donations almost tripled from last year. We are so fortunate to have the coverage and support The Independent and Free Press gives us. You gave us a wonderful spread and always make yourselves available to cover our endeavours. We are very grateful. Acton, you have shown us time and again that you believe that together "we can make cancer history". Your generosity will indeed make a difference. Liz Bailey, Campaign chair, Acton branch Canadian Cancer Society Make sure Canadian flags are in good shape Dear editor, As Canada Day is upon us again, I would like to remind everyone who flies a Canadian flag to check on its condition. Too often I see torn and faded flags on schools, government buildings, businesses and homes. A flag exposed to the elements does not look good for very long and needs to be replaced regularly. I don't care if people fly a flag or not, but if you are going to fly one please make sure it looks fresh and clean with deep vibrant colour. Anything less is disrespectful to a fine symbol. Phil Taylor, Acton New blood for food bank Dear editor, The Georgetown Bread Basket held its annual general meeting June and prior to that meeting The Independent & Free Press sent out the message that the food bank was in need of new directors. We are happy to announce that some new people came forward with applications to join the board of now 10 directors and work in this important organization in our community. The GBB directors appreciate the help of all businesses and individuals in the community who supply food, cash and other services. Marian Viant, director media co-ordinator, Georgetown Bread Basket Sports facilities should be election priority Dear editor, I concur with Clayton Browning about the lack of parks and recreational facilities in Halton Hills (June 9 letter, Slopitch player bemoans lack of fields). As a board member of the Georgetown youth soccer and hockey clubs I also see first-hand the negative effects of the lack of facilities on programs and waiting lists (which are continuously growing). I also agree that many of the plans for facility development have been slowed or halted altogether. There are countless reasons why we should have these facilities for our residents that are young and young at heart, starting with physical health and an investment in our youth, and I strongly believe we should make this a high priority in Halton Hills. The ball will be in your readers' court on November 13, let's hope the right play is made! Drew Riedstra, Georgetown (Editor's note: Drew Riedstra is a registered candidate for Ward 4 Councillor for the Nov. 13 municipal election.)