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A 6 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday, October 15, 2003 E D IT O R IA L SA N DL E T T E R S THE OAKVILLE BEAVER 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax; 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Grtulation: 845-9742 IA N OLIVER Publisher NEIL OLIVER Associate Publisher TERI CASAS Office Manager JILL D AV IS Editor in Chief M ARK DILLS Production Manager K ELLY M ONTAGUE Advertising Director RI3ER0 VERTOLU Photography Director CHARLENE HALL Circulation Manager ROD JERRED Managing Editor M a a o a n dP n rftiQ .P U A rtm oa o atrtu n n gitu. rcum A jO K T O w rg Nows Advertiser. A M o n H n k V C a iw . A d u EfferprtM News. 8 * rr * Advance Brampton GuvdMn. BuilmgWn Port. Burlington Shopping M m i Caledon Entfrpnse. Qly P m , ColRgmoQdiWkiaga Gomedicn. East * * * M tm r E r r A<*ocaltfCounary t a i n . Etctxoofce Guanaon. Flarncorousfi ftavaw. Georgetown *dapertfent/Acfcn Fra* Preae, H v rM o r Aawaw H tom B latw ss Tim**. L n d u y TTm W M , Eooramel & S i r M dareV^eneC arguahre U r w Mfton Canadan Champion. MAon Shotting te w s W w M u m Buaroaa Tlmea. M teaaauga N am . Napanae Gukjb. N a w m a na V A u m Era {tamer. NortourrCanand Hem. Norti torV Minor. O o M fc Beaver. Oakville S ta pp ng N b w i O k ftm a n Hockay Naws. O n to Today, O tfw itfM ttiy C ttn n g lo n Port Parry Tha W m *. Omw S o r t Trtwna. Patnenfcn Otaerver Paactnrougn Tha M e * . PWon Coutrjr Guda. fto m c n d M R m o ra O M tg ra n LOaral. S c a rtm u 0 i M m * StaiN «a a-U *r«o» I r t u a . Forwar toiflQ . Ob d (ka rd a n THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL M EDIA SPONSOR FOR; Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association iC T V j » A Canadian Community Newspapers Association T >( f YM CA a KO Nt t » l I j oakvllle g a lk rle s | Oakville S^lnvai).'. PM BU SIN ESSB(CRl0« Jk&MFund o » r « · i o © W e l c c sK a0 »¥ m * O * K n 0 / m n w ss O cS*p © SK Suburban N ew spapers of America TN* OafeRe. MRon and OW nd R IA L I tT A T t BO AR D O&M * OMNmSCMr I**. 'LTFfc ' IM S fraa k M ruBiic t M »KAR > A healthy start With H alton's burgeoning population com es an increased dem and for, and on, services. Perhaps no area is feeling the strain m ore than in our medical com m unity w here doctors are in short supply. According to Halton R egion's Physicians Recruitm ent Task Force, 40 general practitioners (GPs) were needed this year to service the four m unicipalities and another 20-25 will be required next year and in 2005. Since N ovem ber 2002, 20 G Ps have opened practices in the region -- increasing the stock o f fam ily doctors by nearly 10 per cent in a year. Pretty good num bers when you consider a sim ilar task force in Cam bridge lured ju st 10 G Ps over the last tw o years. In Oakville three have agreed to set up practice and a fourth is con tem plating w hether to locate here or in Burlington. Not having a fam ily physician can be a very frustrating and trying experience for residents -- not to m ention a burden on the entire health care system. Long w aits in a hospital em ergency room or local clinics should be the exception and not the norm. L et's not forget, too, the peace o f m ind one has know ing they have a family doctor close at hand. There is continuity in care and patients tend to be more pro-active with their health w hen they have their ow n doctor to call on. However, w hile the shortage o f G Ps is still acute in Halton, the task force, w hich began as a pilot project last year, has m ade great strides. In a report to the region's health and social services com m ittee recent ly, the task force stated that in addition to the 20 physicians that have set up shop in Halton, discussions are under way with five others about locating here. Clearly the task force's initiatives, such as aggressively m arketing Halton, attending trade shows and even establishing a Web site for physicians to peruse, are paying off. Provincial program s, such as allow ing physicians to receive up to $40,000 in incentives to locate in under serviced areas, help. The collaboration betw een local hospitals and physicians also aids in attracting doctors to open a practice here. The task force, which operated with a $150,000 budget, will need regional council's approval in the spring to survive. So far, it appears to have been m oney well spent and it's not often we get a chance to say that about a governm ent-established task force or com m ittee. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Frustrated parent questions school closure options This letter, addressed to Halton District moving into Pilgrim Wood Public School - that school Board Superintendent Gary Sadler, was is what people are saying! , submitted to the Oakx ille Beaver fo r publica You can imagine how detrimental that is for tion. kids who currently attend Pilgrim Wood to hear. I left you an e-mail today regarding my con They are hearing that they will be kicked out of cerns with thfe PE 13 School Clo their own school to make room for other kids. Is sure/Consolidation Study Options. that fair? Is that logical? Is it the right thing to First of all. I feel that once again the board is do? putting the cart before the horse by moving the We keep hearing that the French Immersion children from Pine Grove before a school is group is pushing to have their own school so that ready to house them. That being said, I do real they don't have to share resources, etc., all rea ize that it is a wish that the children who live sonable requests, yet in the time of budget cuts north of the QEW have their own school up here and shortages of teachers is it really logical to to attend for French Immersion. make such a move? The kids who are at Pine As far as I understand, the French Immersion Grove are currently happy where they are and program is an optional one and any parent who the kids who are Pilgrim Wood. Heritage Glen chooses to send their child to a school offering and Abbey Lane are all happy where they are. it. knows that they are opting out of sending Wouldn't it be more prudent to move the kids their child to the school closest to their resi who attend Pine Grove and live north of the dence. QEW to the new school in West Oak Trails once Most people do send their kids to the school it is built and have it open as a dual track system, within walking distance to their home, and it is ^thereby upsetting the least amount of people? a huge consideration upon selecting a home. I After all, that school would begin its life as a know we were not alone in choosing our home dual track and no one would feel uprooted or put based on its close proximity to Pilgrim Wood out. The French Immersion group could feel Public School. In fact, most real estate agents happy that they had a new home and proud that offer local school information to people looking they didn't get it at the cost of another school. in the area so that they make an informed deci I moved to Glen Abbey in 1986 and I noticed sion. that Loyola opened for the Catholic school kids So, for Option C to even be a serious consid to attend. I was in high school at the time and eration is totally offensive to me. Why would was bused to Blakelock. Can you tell me why it you even think about moving one set of kids out has taken the board 18 years to build a high of a school they've called home to make room school in Glen Abbey for the public school kids? for another group of kids who are content where Did they think this area was not going to grow? they are, and who are a minority. By the way, Once again, not enough "long-term" planning please don't mistake my concerns over this situ has taken place. ation as an "English vs. French" thing. I realize Now, you want us to have major upheaval at that most of the kids who attend Pinegrove and our schools all because the board has not live north of the QEW come from Glen Abbey, thought about things down the road. The subdi but we are still talking about an optional pro visions that are being developed should not have gram and one that should be treated as such, not the go ahead until concrete plans for a school are given preferential treatment. in place because the same thing keeps happen From our meeting the other night, some par ing over and over again. The whole "feeder" ents were voicing their concerns over these school thing is getting out of hand, and now we options as they are hearing rumours and specu have to start accommodating the French lations from parents of the Pine Grove kids. The Immersion people too. When will it stop? "word on the street" is that Pine Grove will be When will we get the feeling and reassurance that our kids are the priority and not last on the list of things to do? I hope you take these concerns of mine very seriously and listen to our community who is speaking up -- we don't' want any of these options to take place, especially before people leave office next month. Parents came out in droves and fought against the changes to our kindergarten program and we were steam-rolled over. I hope that the board doesn't do the same thing with this issue - 1 hope the board listens to us, the community. Thank you for your time. I appreciate you giving this your utmost priority. J. M C FA R LA N D No time for parents to give board proper input This letter, addressed to Ward 4 Trustee Annette Kirk and the Halton District School Board, was submitted to the Oakville Beaver fo r publication. It is with extreme displeasure that I am writing this note to you, to voice my concern for the manner in which the potenlial closure/consolidation of Pilgrim Wood School in Glen Abbey has been announced and communicated and the impossible timelines that have been given to parents for input into the decision process. My wife and I have two children at this school. While the topic of consolidation has been in the news, the specific announcement regarding Pilgrim Wood has not. Frankly, my wife simply by word of mouth heard in the schoolyard while picking up our children last night about a special school council meeting called as o f yesterday (Thursday), for later that evening. The purpose of the meeting you were likely aware -- but did not attend -- was to discuss this matter which the council indicated at the meeting was only publicly unveiled the previous evening at an open house meeting at Blakelock. Further compounding our frustration, your board has requested delegates appear on Oct. 15 if they wish to have input on this decision. In fact, formal letters to the school community at large are only being sent home today requesting input by Tuesday! It appeared to those of us attending this council meeting last evening that, after Oct. 15, further review of this matter would be virtually impossible, pending a vote to be held on Nov. 19 -- notably to be a closed door board meeting. Needless to say, the convenient expediency being pursued by the board on this very, very important decision, and the manner in which it is being conducted, displays utter con tempt by you and your board members for the opinions of the Pilgrim Wood school community. (Notably given the Thanksgiving weekend, this is atrocious). We attended the meeting last evening and noted several matters which will require time to examine regarding safety, other alternatives, busing, overcrowding and, most impor tantly, communication which is abominable in this circum stance. Impromptu word o f mouth should not be the manner in which this issue is disseminated amongst the school com munity. The formal process is also, frankly, in plain English, a joke. As this decision will seriously effect the local Pilgrim Wood community's children, I implore you to defer on the Oct. 15 meeting, and to take the opportunity to fully and broadly communicate the various options unveiled yesterday and seek input from all concerned parents and their children. STEVE & JOAN TORRENS Police grateful for coverage I would like to thank you for the outstand ing news coverage the Oakville Beaver has provided of late regarding the traffic project we are running in Oakville. I have sent the Beaver (and others) a summary each week of the num bers of charges laid and other anecdotes and each week you have been kind enough to print them. This sort of coverage is extraordinary, and I am truly grateful. One charge laid only impacts the one driver and perhaps a few motorists who pass by wherv the driver is getting the ticket. Writing a story about it can obviously reach thousands of peo ple, and if only 10 per cent of those reading it take heed and slow down, we are all much bet ter off. Thank you once again for your fantas tic community support. STAFF-SGT. CHRIS PERKINS HALTON REGIONAL POLICE SERVICES Do police crackdowns on speeding and bad drivers make you think twice when behind the wheel? We want to hear your views. Send to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Road, Oakville, On., L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editordboakcillebeatxrxom. The Beai'er resents the right to refuse to publish any letter. Pud VJE'RE NOT HAVING LEFTOVER ^ AGAIN, \ * r a re w e ? N O .T H A T t By STEVE NEASE We want your opinion , 'W E 'R E HAVING- LEFTOVER THANKSGIVING TURKEY 'SURPRISE, All GdME... THANKSGIVING- BRUSSELS ^ P ftJ U T S 'SURPRISE'/ Got a beef? Have an opinion you wish to share? Something on your mind? The Oak\'ille Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published, letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Road, Oakville, On., L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. » The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish any letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The coundl is located at 80 Gould St, Suite 206, Toronto. Ont. M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. 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