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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, January 18, 2013 · 6 Opinion & Letters 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 -- 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. The Oakville Beaver THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America Canadian Community Newspapers Association ATHENA Award Neil Oliver Vice ­ President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The OakvilleBeaver is a division of David Harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief, Halton Region Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Apology is due for Friday's chaos We believe the provincial government and Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) owe thousands of families an apology for the fiasco that was last Friday's off-again, on-again school day. Still smarting over Bill 115's sweeping power to force belt-tightening measures upon it, the teachers' union gave 48 hours notice of a final act of defiance -- a one-day protest on Jan. 11. That announcement triggered Ontario's public school boards to inform parents schools would be closed. Next came a not-so-veiled threat by departing Premier Dalton McGuinty that teachers who walked off the job could potentially be subject to individual fines of as much as $2,000. While the Province's eleventh hour argument before the Ontario Labour Relations Board may have ultimately prevented ETFO's day of action, it came far too late for parents who had already either taken the day off work or made other arrangements to accommodate their schoolaged children. Public schools across the province may have opened their doors, but many classes contained a fraction of their normal numbers as significant a number of students were kept home for the day. The only thing accomplished by last week's standoff between public elementary teachers and the provincial government was the inconveniencing of thousands of Ontario families. Neither side in this political mess gained anything more than raising the ire of taxpayers who ultimately foot the bill for Ontario's public education system. Since we're not holding our breath that a partial rebate of education taxes is in the mail, an apology is the least our elected officials and ETFO should offer. Elsewhere on this page today, you will see a letter sent by the Halton District School Board to parents. It outlines frustration with the government's handling of the situation and a plea for extracurricular activities to begin again in schools. A few weeks ago, we wrote in this space the dispute between the public elementary and secondary teachers and the Ontario Liberal government is best settled in the courts. Granted it's not immediate or ideal, but, like last week's hearing, will involve those debating the points in a forum where they have the means to do so -- and where students and taxpayers are not compromised. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Overruns not overly surprising Letter to the editor Public school board writes to parents in frustration Editor's Note: The Halton District School Board filed the following letter to parents late Wednesday (Jan. 16). A copy was also submitted to The Oakville Beaver. The Trustees of the Halton District School Board wish to publicly express their disappointment and dissatisfaction with the way in which this latest round of labour negotiations has been managed by the Ontario government. We regret students and families have been negatively impacted by the political unrest and we look forward to returning to our focus on education. The recent decision to close, and the subsequent decision to re-open, our elementary schools to students on Friday, Jan. 11 was difficult and confusing for parents, staff and our community. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time of unprecedented uncertainty. We anticipate ETFO (Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario) will continue to direct their members (teachers) to abide by the latest ruling of the Labour Relations Board of Ontario. We understand that the previously announced day of protest by secondary teachers on Wednesday, Jan. 16 was cancelled by their union (OSSTF) as a result of the decision. It is our sincere hope teachers will refrain from further action that negatively impacts on students. It is time to return to the enriching program offered to our students, including the provision of extracurricular activities. This unrest and anxiety has resulted from the dissatisfaction with the provincial government's management of contract negotiations and the enactment of Bill 115 (also referred to as The Putting Students First Act) by both ETFO and OSSTF (Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation). The Putting Students First Act has little to do with students. It is a directive that binds local school boards to a contract that could increase operational costs to individual boards of education and take away professional development opportunities for teachers. Bill 115 enables the government to impose terms as they deem appropriate and has removed the ability of boards of education across Ontario to negotiate local terms with teacher unions that make a difference to the students in our classrooms. See Trustees page 10 Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Re: Loyola reno costs snowball beyond expectations, The Oakville Beaver, Dec. 29, 2012 The root of the problem with the time and cost overruns at Loyola will, as usual, be with the consultants and trades. After more than 25 years in my previous position, selling to government at all levels, I will bet the farm the real culprits will once again be missed. Purchasers are forced by legislation to take the low bid or do not know or care enough to disqualify bids that don't qualify. In tight times, bidders have no alternative but to guess what their competition will bid to keep their company alive. Often the right bid is overlooked for an insignificant dollar difference, costing the project a huge overrun. Construction takes immense coordination and one (or more) weak component can make all proponents look foolish. See Cheapest page 10