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6 Oakville Beaver Weekend Sunday December 10, 2000 T h e O ak ville B eaver Ian Oliver, P ublisher Neil Oliver, A ssociate P ublisher Norman Alexander, E ditor Kelly Montague, A dvertising D irector Steve Crozier, C irculation D irector Ten Casas . O ffice M anager Mark Dills, Production M anager Riziero Vertolli, Photography D irector M e&dand P rinting, P ubishing & D istributing LfcL, includes: A jax/P ickering N ew s AcNertiser, A ls to n H erakVC otner, Bam e A dvance, B arry's B ay This W eek, B olton E nterprise, Bram pton G uarden, B urfngton P ost, B urfngton S hopping N ew s, C ity Parent, C o *n ^o o cW \fa sa g a C onnection, East Mork M rror, E rin A cteocate/C ountry R outes, E tobicoke G uanJan, R am boroucfi Post, G eorgetow n Independent/A cton Free Press, H u o n ia Business Tm es, K ingston T his W eek, Lindsay T h is W eek, M arkham E conom ist & S un, M id la n d /P e n e ta n g u ish in e M irro r, M ilto n C a n a d ia n C h a m p io n , M ilto n S h o p p in g N e w s, M ississa u g a B u sin e ss T im e s, M ississa u g a N ew s, N apanee G uide, N ew m arket/A urora E ra -B a rrie r, N orthum berland N ew s, N o rth Vbrk M irror, O a kville Beaver, O a kville S h o pping N ew s, O kJtim ers H ockey N ew s, O rillia Today, O shaw a/W hitby/C tarington R ort P erry This W eek, O w en S ound Tribune, P eterborough T his W eek, P icto n C o u n ty G u id e , R ichm ond H ill/T h o rn h ill/V a u g h a n L ib e ra l, S ca rb o ro u g h M irror, S to u fK /ie lk b rid g e T rib u te , Forever >bung, C ity o f \t r k G uarddn RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCEB Y : O THE O AK VILLEBEAVERIS PROUDOFFICIALM EDIASPONSOR FO R: T * 4 'O a lu n L U . it&rfrer. ettVMl YMCA O F O A J O f lL L E LC O M EV ccT vi I Strategies for T , | h 'K T D . " S iAGON 1 9 3 0L e 4 1 BRONTEth iUTTERFLY ......... liNqUfcll Rj n c I TV AUCTION T o S JM m a CAward CM kmlle fflfcuA FOR BUSINESS EXCELLENCE © 467 Speers Rd., Oakville OnL L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Editorials Put money bade into the system Last week the Oniario Education Improvement Commission (EIC) released its long-awaited final report. The recommendation which seems to be gamering the most public attention is the one calling for the implementation o f full-time junior and senior kindergarten. For its part, the Ontario government doesn't seem eager to adopt the recom mendation, and w e can't blame them. While it would be advantageous, and per haps beneficial, to have full-time junior and senior kindergarten in the public school systems, w e question whether it would be feasible. The EIC has estimated the cost for implementing this recommendation at $750 million. Premier Mike Harris in responding to the recommendation has indicated the true cost might be even higher. Rather than expanding the school system to accept more students at this time, w e would rather see the province pump more money into the existing education system, which has suffered severe erosion under the Harris regime. Pumping $750 million, or even a fraction o f that amount, back into the exist ing system would go a long way towards meeting a few o f the EIC's other recom mendations: to sustain public confidence in the system; ending the current con frontational environment; and providing a strong commitment for professional development. Ending the confrontational environment and restoring public confidence in the education system should be a priority. The existing provincial government has worked long hours creating a `crisis' in education. Now, according to its own appointed fact-finding commission, it's time to end the crisis Rather than just ignoring the report, the government should take some posi tive steps forward by examining its recommendations closely and acting upon them. f A n d what happened th e n ...? Well... in Ontario they say That the Prem ier's small heart G rew three sizes that day! The so a rin g costs o f to d a y s ' sedentary life s ty le s new study suggests that the societal vegetables known as couch potatoes or sofa spuds are co stin g the Canadian econom y as much as $3.1-billion annually as inactivity is (among other things) a huge risk factor in many chronic and costly diseases. According to the study by a York University team, physical inactivi ty also leads to the premature death o f some 21,000 people each year. That's a lot o f money. That's a lot o f people. Researchers say that unless cur rent trends are reversed, the prob lems and costs associated with all th is id io tic in a c tiv ity are o n ly going to soar. Considering the fact A that two-thirds o f Canadians are in a c tiv e , and a lso ta k in g in to acco u n t the o b e sity ep id em ic among young children, whopping increases seem inevitable. "Fiddlesticks," I hear you say in g -- w e ll, that or so m eth in g m ore p rofoun d or p rofan e -- "th ese stud ies are the w orks o f prophets o f doom. Canadians can't be that unhealthy. W e're liv in g longer, aren't we?" Indeed, w e are. But our longevity is in large part tethered not so much to your per sonal regimens, but to the pivotal strides taken over the past 50 years in health care, disease prevention, detection, treatment, etc. On the whole, w e're a fairly unhealthy lot, being medicated into our dotage. So, what are we doing to com bat th is fis c a l and h ealth care nightmare? Nothing. Just turning on our televisions and hoping the whole problem goes away (which, c o in c id e n ta lly , is the id en tica l approach w e 're taking on vital environmental issues such as glob al warming). Experts suggest that the current crop o f kids are more out o f shape than any previous generation. Ever. Canadian high school students, for instance, are exercising regularly less than ever before -- only 54% girls and 75% boys exercise two or more hours per week -- while tele vision and computer use is at alltime highs. Furthermore, the diet o f these young people is atrocious: 41% don't eat breakfast every day; fruit and vegetable consumption is falling, while junk food consump tion is rising. Add to the mix the toxic soup o f chemicals to which these kids are exposed on a daily basis and you've got major health problems. Considering the facts, it seems a short-sighted (if not outright stu pid) time to be reducing physical education requirements in schools. The current crop o f high school students can graduate having taken only one semester o f phys-ed. It a lso se em s lik e a p a rticu larly d o p ey tim e to be k illin g all ParticipAction, the program that for the past 30 years has, on a shoestring budget, promoted fit ness and a healthy lifestyle. It seems like the perfect time for parents and coaches to finally learn that our kids should be participat ing in athletics for the joy o f the sport, the love o f the game, and the good o f their health. Our need to drive our kids to win, or to become superstars -- a need which leads us to "o v e r k ill" a th letics w ith too m any p ra ctic es and to o m any games and too much intensity and pressure, and not near enough fun -- is driving kids away from sports in droves. Ask a youngster why he or she is no longer involved in ath letics and the answer you'll likely hear: "I wasn't good enough. And it wasn't fun." W hoa! E v e ry o n e is g o o d enough. We need to make physical activity fun. So our kids latch onto it, and fall in love with it, and stay married to it for the rest o f their lives.