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THE HERALD OUTLOOK Saturday November 1990Jag9 Letters GDHS principal discusses flag controversy Letter to Editor It has been an emotional few weeks at Georgetown District High School At issue is the mean of our rebel flag and whether or not it symbolizes the values we wish to communicate For many Georgetown students past and present the flag represents a rich tradition school pride in being the Rebels of the north We are hard work self reliant resilient com petetive proud of our achievements and incredibly car ing My concern is that we also be sensitive sensitive to the feel ings of those who might feel some discomfort with our flag no mat what their race or religion sensitive to the perceptions that demands reply Editors note The following letter was released to the Halton Hills Herald for publication Mr Peter Regional Chairman 1151 Bronte Road Box 7000 Oakville Ontario L6J Dear Mr R A I D D is a recently formed ratepayers association in Hills supported by some two thousand residents We are to you for two reasons both of which are in regard to the Hungry Hollow Ravine and the proposed twinning of the sanitary trunk sewer First why did regional staff not inform the consulting firm Marshall more promptly and directly that they in eluded two and possibly three old The Regional Engineer knew in June yet the consultants office only received a copy of someone elses letter pertaining to the matter at the end of September The con themselves denied know ing anything about the sites on the night of the last public meeting Has anyone yet considered that the water feeding test well fifteen passes through this area as well How will test well fifteen operating at full capacity affect Silvercreek and the very impor tant wetlands that ensure our future water supply Our second reason for wnting to you is to inform you of RAIDDs position on this pro perty We believe it should be maintained as a natural habitat It Is a unique natural feature of the area with historic en vironmental and aesthetic significance Just as Silvercreek played a vital role in our town founder George Kennedys deci sion to settle here and establish Georgetown so it plays an even greater role in the towns viabih ty in maintaining sewage treat capacity and water supply The future of Silvercreek the valley and the wetlands are in separably interwoven with the future of Georgetown Decisions made about it need to be made with this in Thank you for your consideration of our tions and concerns We look for ward to your reply Cordially Gail Rutherford Chairperson others might have of us because of our flag whether verbalized or not So whats the issue The issue is that for many peo ple especially those outside our community the Confederate flag represents the rebel south and a racism that endures to this very day If you have seen the movies Mississippi Burning or Betrayed or if you saw the Ku Klux rally on TV this past October 26 I hope youll know what I mean This past weekend our cross country team was asked to remove the flag from a motel window by the management because of a complaint from a patron who found it offensive This is why I could not support the creation of a new school mascot that officially in corpora ted the Confederate flag You should also know that I have too much respect for the people who value the flag purely in terms of school tradition to deny them the opportunity to wave it if they choose So where do we go from here Now that the rumors have been dispelled the discussion is much more constructive It is tant that we continue to talk about what we stand for as a school It is also important that everyone have a way to express their school spirit in a manner that is comfortable to them For example a number of peo pie who prefer the Confederate design have also expressed sup port for an additional flag which contains our traditional home grown red and blue Rebel This symbol is currently in the centre of the gym floor in the stained glass window of the main foyer and on many of our school uniforms If a second flag were made available people who prefer one over the other would be able to choose between two traditional symbols We are still discussing the mat ter I welcome your thoughts and opinions of course If youd like to register your point of view please send me a note co Georgetown District High School 70 Guelph Street Georgetown Go Rebels Bryn Davies Principal GDHS Turner applauded Dear Editor lie OPEN LETTER TO GARTH TURNER As you might imagine I follow the activities at Queen Park and Parliament Hill with more than a passing interest as sions made at those levels of government have signifant im pact on the level of government that I have the pleasure to lead As a result the impact ultimately falls on the beleaguered taxpayer from whom we receive all our revenue in one form or another In an attempt to keep abreast of these activities I spend a tot of time tracking through the various media not least of which is your newspaper Setting aside the political issues the conclusion of your col editorial writers and the letters to the editor most of which are partisan one vation seems beyond lion thai one of our elected representatives is leading the pack in it least one particular area likt him or dislike him or disagree with him but von an denv that he torn regularly with col open letters and most im frequent public meetings I in sure he s had more public meetings scattered ut his riding in his time in office than most of the other Members combined I am ing of course to Garth Turner MP Ive had the opportunity to be in attendance at several of these meetings Contrary to what some think hes shown me no evidence that he is just an apologist for his government Rather he had often agreed with the criticism directed at his party and bravely soldiers on seeking input from all and carrying the message back to his caucus and to Cabinet He appears somewhate battle scarred and shocked at times and most readers perceive the frustration and cynicism that sometimes leaks through his col While some may think that this letter itself makes me guilty of partisanship I do plead guilty to admiring his pluck and deter to give his constituents open forums to give reports and get reports On that report card alone he gets an A plus from me and I m sure most of his constituents Yours very truly Frank Bean Regional Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Peel Region Columnists Dont shed a tear for Finance Minister Wilson By VIC PARSONS Ottawa Bureau Thomson News Service OTTAWA Now that youve sh a tear for poor Michael Wilson and his 1973 pay cut perhaps youll reserve a sob or two for to days stumbling economy The finance ministers attempt to put himself on a level with those who have seen their jobs and businesses savaged by the current slowdown will hardly win friends After all Wilsons personal tale of woe was about having to take a pay cut years ago when he was executive vice- president of Dominion Securities ltd He couldnt remember what his salary was back then but it was less than a handsome figure then And the pay cut didnt stop the graduate of Upper Canada College and the of Toronto from rebounding from his devastation so that now he owns homes in posh areas of both Toronto and Ottawa So hey all you autoworkers in St Thomas meat packers in Brandon Man carpet makers in Collingwood Ont and loggers in the British Columbia interior who are losing your jobs take Wilsons message to heart You can come back This is only a necessary period of adjustment that will lead to a brighter future the finance minister tells us Necessary or not its scary and painful why its hard for many to be consoled by a pohti who refused for months to accept the obvious and admit a recession was in the works ECONOMY SHRINKING There are more signs ever that the economy is shrinking and many economists are saying now itll be longer and deeper than once feared The Gulf oil crisis and the proposed goods and services tax are only likely to add fuel to a smoldering fire The latest Statistics Canada figures on production of goods and services show a sharp drop in August partly because of steel strikes But even without the strike activity the downtown was sharp Translated into an annual rate the economy would shrink but about 5 per cent In other words the economy declined in August at a that would be considered very healthy if it was a plus rather than a minus As it was the economy had grown by only twotenths of one per cent m the 12 months ending August The future t great either StatsCan leading indicator a forecaster of business trends was down for the seventh con secutive month in August Housing starts and other con struction were off and purchases of durable good such as tars fur and appliances had tumbl ed there is of a shrinkage in demand for services which is one of the last sectors to be hit by recession BIGGEST CONCERN Meanwhile manufacturers are in a blue funk unmatched since the middle of the last recession in 1982 A survey shows that lack of orders and weak markets are now seen by manufacturers as their biggest source of concern Usually lack of skilled workers tops their list of complaints Nearly half of manufacturers questioned by StatsCan said they expect lower production over the next quarter close to three times as many who anticipated produc ing more The gloom is deepened by pro nouncements like that from Laurent Thibault president of the Canadian Manufacturers Association Anybody making traditional products in Canada with standard technology and high labor content just doesnt have a future here he said Thibault also predicted the reces sion w ill go on for at least another eight months Forgetting Wilsons crocodile tears and hand there is little in the way of effective ac tion by Ottawa Federal policy of late seems to consist merely of blaming the Liberal dominated Senate for holding up legislation The Bank of Canada through its monetary policy is hanging tough against inflation which it regards as an infinitely worse and longer lasting problem than recession and unemployment Its doubtful many working Canadians who feel the effect of high interest rates on their jobs mortgages and loans see things in the same light After all they arent well padded Michael Wilsons