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In fact, the majority of cycling accidents do not occur on high- ways. Rather, they involve colli- sions with pedestrians, other cyclists and assorted immovable objects. Resulting injuries involve parts of the body other than the head. Mandatory helmets will only add to that segment of the popu- lation who perplexingly deem it appropriate to cycle on the side- walk. Individuals who attempt to circumvent the legislation by using the sidewalk will only increase hazards for pedestrians Assuming the figures quoted are accurate, how do they com- pare with similar injuries suffered by pedestrians, skateboarders and those on rollerblades, all of whom use public roads? Arguably exposed to similar risks. are these individuals being asked to wear helmets? No sources for the above data were quoted in Barb Joy's col- umn. It is not clear whether all of the above mentioned deaths and injuries involved motor vehicles. This is germane since Bill 124 only covers private driveways, parking lots, parks, schoolyards and other commonly used areas will not be required to wear a helmet. "80% of bicycle related deaths involving about a dozen children in Ontario result from head injuries, while ISO of the 1,000 children hospitalized annually have permanent brain injuries." According to Claudia Cunningham, founder of HBHC. Bicycle helmet legislation based on hysteria“? Dear Sir: Bill l24, an act to amend the Highway Traffic Act making bicycle helmets mandatory for all Ontario cyclists, is poised for third and final reading. With all due respect to its supporters, including the Halton Bicycle Helmet Coalition (Oakville Beaver. May l2th), this legisla- tion is both rooted in hysteria and generally counterproductive. and them g-.-----..-.'-. Parents at this meeting weren't impressed by all the philosophit being offered up to them as the way education works today. The s: that our system is failing everyone, especially in language arts, It' the students. it's failing the parents and it's failing the teachers. Forget about the 'child centred' learning concept and get bac teacher-centred programs that saw children learn the basics of I which prepared them for more difficult work in high school and beyt In business, when your clients tell you they're not pleased with uct. you change. Too had our educators can't read the writing on It Hem "Engagement occurs when a learner is convinced, 'I can do i someone makes a mistake. they're not going to be stomped on. Sometimes learning isn't 'fun', sometimes it entails doing thing dare we mention it in the same phrase as education, boring'. Yep ', spelling requires phonic work, memory work and constant repe what's the big deal? ’OPINION An astute parent told Clemens that her daughter loves writing but she can't write in grammatically correct ways and is constantly editing her work. Not only that, the parent noted, but a page with 10-20 spelling mistakes will come home without any of the errors being noted by the teacher. It does no good to give these children the wrong impression. If our chil- dren aren't going to be taught the proper way to spell. speak and write prop- erly in school, where are they to be taught? At home? These sessions were billed as a way to take the 'buzz' words out of educa- tional jargon and bring them down to terms the average parent could under- stand. Listen to Clemens' response to one parent's criticism of the way in which language skills are being taught. What Clemens and other educators ft told what is wrong and what is correct, tem actually believing the grades they level. Now that's a mistake. Too many educators are buying into the concept that to challenge students is wrong and to correct mistakes will only extinguish a student's enthusiasm for learning. phonics is part of the board's whole language program. But despite Clemens' insistence that phonics was being taught. parents in attendance weren't buying her explanation. They said it was frustrating to see their children bringing home work with poor spelling and grammar. Even more revealing were comments from some parents with children labelled 'above average' who couldn't spell or form grammatically correct sentences. .Clemens' response to this criticism is typical of today's educators. Despite being told to do something about the way their children are learning, nothing is being done. fany Halton parent needed more relnl‘orccnicnt 01 what's wrong vvuh education here and in Ontario, they had only to attend a recent meeting sponsored by the Halton Board of Education. One of a series on 'Education Explained', the meeting saw Micki Clemens, the board's Education Language Arts co-ordinator, explain that there was no need for parents to worry about their children's language skills. Clemens told parents that there should be no debate in Halton on whether whole language or phonics is the best way to teach reading and writing since phonics is part of the board's whole language program. But despite Clemens' insistence that phonics was being taught, parents in n Slow to learn EDITORIAL rovide One shudders to think what would happen if Maurice; Strong's job as Hydro's chairman became available at $400,000. If it were an elected position, would we have a council left? How about a bylaw that would stop elected officials from building step- ping stones at the taxpayer's expense? Perhaps a pre-election declaration saying that should another elected position become available he or she will keep his or her commitment for the prescribed number of years. Dear Sir: Here we go again! Two people supposedly committed to a three year term to Oakville Local & Regional councils have opted to jump on the bandwagon for a bigger and better job salary! Are any of us surprised? No! Should we be concerned? Yes!! A commitment was made until November 1994. Now in April, l993, something better has surfaced. So why not take a shot at it? Mr. Sparling's constituents would get an appointed replacement until November, 1994. And what about Mrs. Mulvale? Does the town of Oakville get an appointed mayor? Do these people draw their salaries while they are involved in waging a campaign? Or do they generously return it to the town? those who are by nature reckless or aggressive with a false sense of security. Any increase in risk- taking will produce a correspond- ing increase in the overall num- ber of injuries. The absence of an Ontario Cyclist's License makes it diffi- cult to effectively identify cyclists. Police across the DearSir: In your May 2nd issue, you reported Mayor Mulvale as saying that if elected, she would draw on her experience at the municipal level to do battle with the national debt. If Give taxpayers a break I think - it is give the voters a break __ time attling costs of government starts here EDIE]: CALL845-5585 til to point out, is that without being students plod along through the 'sys- receive are reflective of their skills [E3 the It's wa "l metir If All callers are allowed 45 sec- onds to express their opinion and must provide their name, address and phone number for verification. Got a gripe? Give us a call. Readers are invited to express their opinion on a topic of their choice by calling 845-5585, box 5250. A cross section of the responses will be published in next Wednesday's Oakville Beaver. SPEAK 1ftmiTiijiiiiii" ll and It why did she not contain Oakville’s spiraling cost, resulting from the incredible growth in the number of Town staff and their salaries? Mulva' why d " n can The Oakvrllo Beaver mm: your comments. All letters must be signed and Include the writers address and phone number. Lane's should be typed. doutgtr-8paced and addressed to: um to the Edna. The Oattthtie Bum. 461 Spoon Rd., Oakvlllo. Ont. LGK 3S4 battlethenationaldetx T '.ua..L.,r' A ",.,.s..,.a.La-a:c?LL", m Lillian Kilpatrick 467 Spears Road, Oakville, Ont. L6K 845-3824 Fax: 845-3085 EEO .' 'p' Peter A. Dooly Classified Advertising: ads-2309 Circulation: 845-9742 or 845-9743 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER " -aid.- On behalf of the Halton Regional Police Service - especial- ly the administration and officers of 20 Division in Oakville, I would like to thank you for this gesture. We would, also, like to express our thanks to Valerie Rigby for her involvement and Angela Blackburn who wrote the article. We look forward to your contin- Dear Sir: One of the reasons for the suc- cess of the Halton Regional Police Service is the support we receive from the community. Their willing- ness to become part of the solution ensure us one of the safest commu- nities in Canada. One of the most effective ways to reach the com- munity is through the media. In our efforts to promote community based policing, you generously agreed to print an article on this subject which appeared in the Oakville Beaver on Sun., May 9th, 1993. gies into lobbying governments (including Oakville':;) for addi- tional bike lanes and developing programs geared to the proper care and handling of bicycles, Peter Pellier mandatory helmet 1y reserved tor oncyctes. ror very good health and environmental reasons. cycling should be widely encouraged both as a pleasurable activity and a fundamental mode of transportation. Bill l24 will have the exact opposite effect. produc Halton police thankful rese TI W support. I/Superintendent P. Cormier #2 District Commander " ar aetrac rr tslat 384 ll uongly resisted. forcing Ontario's wear bicycle hel- om the real issue lamoring for s put their ener- g governments pposixe effect. n in Australia t, decline in ttt es exc :o suspend or assign. what If! 001C131 sys be jailed "I'LL ASKTHE APA'IHETIc so, E ines? Are xerctse lusive Robert Gil-hey Advertising Director Norman Alexander Editor Geoff Hm Circulation Director Teri Cun- Qlllce Manager Tim Colel Production Manager Ian Oliver Publisher Perhaps 1ior_T1e changes are necessary - so that roads are safer. I don't think that anyone is against revamping the system by which new drivers are introduced to the road - but restrictions can only lead to active rebellion. Flirting with the law, teens could possibly see graduated licensing as one more restriction to dodge. touching a 400/Highway! One last problem may exist in the curfew. Most teens stay out later than midnight. No more hockey games for us! All these restrictions will be an insurmountable task for police to enforce. Limited highways and some freeways also puts restrictions on where we can go. Try going from Oakville to Milton without touching a 400/Hisrhwav! In another sense, I feel sorry for new drivers because they have to have someone in the car with them who has at least four year's experience. Who wants to drive to their friend's party with their parents? Let alone the hassle for parents to be con- stantly chaperoning! I think the actual problem lies within the licensing process itself. The road tests are not long enough, and it seems an inade- quate amount of time to determine how well someone can drive. On another hand, this graduated licensing system will give young driver's the chance to drive better than when they're on their own. I also agree with the zero alcohol level. This should be a law in the first place. -- LFTIF‘! 9f IHF Ptrlf, f-"-"- Graduated licensing plan gets mixed reviews from teen Dear Sir: l was very interested with the editorial in the Oakville Beaver, May 9th, concerning graduated licensing. I am 16 years old and currently enrolled in a driver's training course. I guess this is why l may not be as concerned about graduated licenses as the future driver's next spring. However, I do believe it may be an important step towards safer driving. Births to single women, 1950 to 1988 30 -------------." 1950 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1988 C-___-,--,.., Year _----..--.-) Prevtrntt WEEKLY FOCUS The OukviIo Boavm, pimumod every Sunday, wmmuy Ina Finlay, at 4tr Spoon Rd ' Oakvulo, it one ol ma Mallow Purim, Pun-Mg a Diuvlbinlnu Lid group of minivan rumpus which unlim- 2,t Melon . News Advent-i, Home Adam», Bmmpttm Guaidln, Burt not)" Pm Coilingwood carnelian, 6mm. Gillan, 300mm" I Acton Fm Pnms, Khwlon Tm Wonk Hutch)" Wonk. Markham Economist and sin, "stjfrelwuxbreitp Tim», M ennui-n f,'lagt Minding News, Newman-Auto'- Eva-ennui, Nam m W01, lb Beam, Ila ttt t8NrretoWhlttsy Thh Wonk, Putnam” Thin Wank. Richmond HIVThom IWaughan Lloyd Biennium Minot. All mien-i mum In in: own; damn . wobcbd by Wmnliny rrmroduc8on in whole or n pan of in. malaria! b smelly Initiation w the , he publmw Jennifer Salmi ’23 1992