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THE NEW TANNERTHURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2007 7 GRAPEVINE with Mike OLeary The Way I See It By the time you read this, the Provincial Election will be just a memory. Although I hope John Torys government will prevail (hey, Im still waiting for my beloved Leafs to bring Stanley home) I fear he will have fallen short of the mark. It appears the Faith Based School Funding issue tor- pedoed him. The attempt to redefine the issue was too little too late. Its a shame, really, because if the courts declare Ontarios current Ed- ucation Funding Policy as discriminatory, which is a distinct possibility, the Ontario government will be forced to comply. The Faith Based Funding is- sue really was a Red Herring. I have said before that I doubt many of these schools would accept the dictates of the Min- istry of Education. Especially when their own ministers, rab- bis, mullahs etc. are directly involved in curriculum and classroom teaching. I have a sneaking suspicion that some of the objection to Torys proposal has its foun- dation in Bill Davis decision to fully fund Catholic schools. (I paid my own tuition to high school) I say get over it. Davis changed the rules al- most 25 years ago and the sky still hasnt fallen. Nor would we have seen any mass exodus from Public schools had John Tory passed his proposed legislation. I suspect the opposition to this plan is based, for the most part, in the bigoted attitude of many Ontarians. And this from the party that claims to embrace muti-culturalism. In the words of Curious George: Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser. I really hope the MMP pro- posal is soundly defeated for many of the reasons I put in last weeks column. What bugs me is all the money wasted on this mental masturbation exercise. Much was made of the fact that the dog and pony show touring the province suppos- edly gathering information was comprised of volunteers. Of course, nothing was said about expenses and the cost of support staff to produce their report. Now consider the cost to you of all those pretty yellow signs, the television, radio and print ads weve been subjected to. My friends, this exercise in futility (one hopes) had to cost us tens, if not hundreds, of mil- lions of dollars. All in the effort to promote political bedlam. I have one question: who the hell asked them (whoever they are) to hold a referendum? I cer- tainly didnt. Did you? While were talking about your money that, in my opinion, was spent (flushed?) foolishly, reflect on this. Never mind the provincial surplus. The money diddled away on this referendum would have more than paid for the extension of public funding to Faith Based Schools. Unbelievable! The only thing I hope is that this MMP Referendum is de- feated once and for all. I hope the government doesnt allow this issue to morph into anything like the Quebec never-endum. What are we up to down there now? Best 12 out of 23? Sheer stupidity! I hope you found the time to vote. Over the years, I have missed very few elections. Mostly that was because of a very heavy travel schedule dur- ing the 70s and 80s. When I hear people say they dont have time or why bother, theyre just going to do what they want anyway, it annoys me to no end. I think I will always remem- ber the scene of a 90+ year old woman, standing in the broil- ing heat, waiting to vote in South Africas first Democratic Election. Her stained face was a mixture of sweat and tears. When asked if she wanted to leave the line to rest, she replied Ive been waiting for this day. Ill die before I leave this line. Here in Canada we go from air-conditioned cars to air-con- ditioned buildings to cast our votes. And still, a majority of citizens cant be bothered even though the whole process only takes 10 minutes or so. I wont bother saying its a citizens right or duty to vote. I do believe that if you dont vote you shouldnt bitch about the result. I think some of the TV and radio commercials centered around the theme of Dont Let Others Speak For You were clever. I just wonder if they were strong enough to break through the mistrust and apa- thy that seems to have infected our population. Only time will tell. Whoever the winners and losers prove to be, I trust the combined judgment of the electorate. The good thing is if the elected representatives let you down you can replace them every four years. Provided, of course, you haul yourself off your duff to cast your vote. An election retrospective AMAZING FOOD DRIVE: Acton High School had an amazing showing in its traditional Thanksgiving food drive, spearheaded by Mrs. Warner, collecting 2408 items in only one week. This event is one in a series of school initiatives planned for this year. Kiln Society AGM The Limehouse Kiln Society will be conducting the Annual General Meeting on Saturday, October 20 at 9 am in Limehouse Memorial Hall. The meeting will consist of the business portion followed by the draws for the highly successful raffle fundraiser. The Kiln Society will then be attending the memo- rial for Chris Walker who was a long-standing member of the board. Retired Teachers The Lydia Snow Branch of RWTO will hold their October meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the gathering room of the Ascot Condominium, 26 Hall Rd., Georgetown, on Tuesday, Oct. 16. Speaker Fran Williams will offer rational and strategies for eliminating clutter in your life. All retired women teach- ers are welcome to attend. Gardening Advice Are you looking for free garden- ing advice? Halton Hills Public Library and the Georgetown Hor- ticultural Society can help! Join us Wednesday, Oct. 10 from 7-9 p.m. when Master Gardener Belinda Gallagher will discuss bulbs and ornamental grasses. On Tuesday, Oct. 30 from 7-9 p.m. Master Gardener Diana Pooke will talk about winterizing the garden and planning for spring. Both presenta- tions are free and will be held in the Georgetown branch, in the Gallery. Register in person or by phone: 905-873-2681 ext. 2511. Charity Week Visit Prosperity One during An- nual Charity Week Oct. 15-19 for bake book sales, raffles, barbecue Thursday, Oct. 18 and deli sand- wiches on Friday Oct. 19. Proceeds go to the Prosperity One Commu- nity Action Fund, supporting local sports teams, community events and local charities. Need Towels A friend working in animal adop- tions has an urgent need for gently worn towels. Large and small, bright colours, bleach stains it doesnt matter. They will be used for animals in the shelter. CLEAN towels may be dropped off at the Pet Valu in the Acton Market Place (thank you Rhonda!) until October 28. Thank you Arlene Fritz. Food for Bank Parishioners at St. Josephs Patron of Canada parish in Acton attended a special Thanksgiving Day mass carrying bags of food for the Acton Food Bank on Monday, Oct. 8. The response was gratify- ing. Acton High School students also staged a food drive for the food bank last week and were also pleased with the results. Blood Clinic A blood donor clinic is being held at the Acton Legion hall on Thursday, Oct. 18 from 4-8 p.m., sponsored by Canadian Blood Services. Patients who struggle to recover from illness and injury depend on ordinary community members to make blood donations a regular part of their lives. Caryna Wilding, clinic coordina- tor with Canadian Blood Services in Brampton says, If anybody needs some inspiration to give blood, I cant think of a better time than after weve just celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday. She adds, We can never be thankful enough for our health. Every donation of blood can save up to three lives. Please make an appointment by calling 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888- 236-6283). First time donors, ages 17 to 61, are always welcome. Well Session Halton Regional Health Depart- ment is holding another well water information session for residents who use private wells at Conserva- tion Halton, 2596 Britannia Rd. W. Lowville. Residents may drop-in anytime between 3:30-9 p.m. It is important to monitor bac- teria and nitrate levels in your private well water supply, says Dr. Bob Nosal, Medical Officer of Health for Halton. Private wells need to be tested for bacteria at least three times each year to ensure the safety of the water. I am writing after a tragic event that happened at my home in Rockwood on Henry Street near Frederick. On Thanksgiving Sunday around 2 p.m., a visiting family dog ran out the front door and kept running onto the street. He was struck and killed almost instantly by a red van speeding, I imagine, going down Henry street. He was a white, 25 lb, fluffy bichon frise with lots of personality and vim and vigor. Unfortunately, the van driver did not see, hear or even feel the bumps that must have occurred when he hit the dog because he did not stop the van. You can imagine the grief, horror and shock our family experienced, especially for the grandparents, owners of the dog, and my two children. I know it is unlikely the driver saw the dog given the circum- stances, but it is hard to imagine they did not feel a thing or look in the rear view mirror to see what had happened. Yes, it could have been worse and been a young child. Please take more care on our roads and pay more attention to the bumps that you might feel. Sandy Halloran & Tim OConnor Henry St., Rockwood