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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday June 13, 2001 The Oakville Beaver Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver .AssociatePublisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, AdvertisingDirector Steve Crazier Circulation Director Teri Casas OfficeManager Mark Dills ProductionManager Riziero Vertolli DirectorofPhotography Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd., includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser. Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance. Barry's Bay This Week, Bolton'Enterprise, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post. Burlington Shopping News. City Parent, Collingwood/Wasaga Connection. East \fcrk Minor, Erin Advocate/Country Routes. Etobicoke Guardian. Flamborough Post, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press. Harriston Review. Huronia Business Times. Kingston This Week. Lindsay This Week. Markham Ecnomist & Sun. Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror. Milton Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping News. Mississauga Business Tmes. Mississauga News, Napanee Guide. 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Fund - JAmard TV AUCTION o fS e (QakviUe © Awards FOR BUSINESS EXCELLENCE 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 · C N A Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America I R O N f E B L ) ET T E R F L Y | oakville galleries | T h e O a k v ille , M ilton a n d District OPINION S K i REAL ESTATE BOARD C h ild r e n 's C h o i r b t a r U lt Editorials R ep o rt o f c o n c e rn With Oakville on the brink of blasting into a new huge development phase north of Hwy. 5, Conservation Halton's report on its strategic plan, couldn't have come at a better time. But what it says about the region's natural The Halton watershed environm ent and w hat's happening to that is under increasing ecosystem, makes for pretty sober reading. pressure from develop- \ There are may pressures being placed on the ment and that's likely environment but non more than growth and the to lead to the reduction \ abdication o f the Province for any monetary in the quality o f our support. That support now stands at a token 3% of CH's budget and has affected its ability to drinking water. . purchase available land for conservation. So as it stands now, CH is doing well just to maintain its current commitments. And that means other phases of its plan, such as acquiring natural areas, cannot be implemented. The warnings from CH's CAO Theresa Maguire-Garber are clear. "Rapid urban expansion will have a negative effect on creeks, forests and grqundwater if smart growth planning and conservation efforts are neglected...watershed creeks and natural lands are more threatened than ever before," she told Town Council on June 4. And this is where the warning signs of environmental decline appear first...the water supply. So, with 17 creeks flowing into Lake Ontario, it's not unrealistic to conclude that as the watershed comes under more pressure, less water will flow to the lake and that water which is flowing, will be of poorer quality than before. And considering the Lake is Oakville's water source, the implication is clear. We've already witnessed two major water debacles in the past year and unless Halton's municipalities act more responsibly to development and environmental controls, stories like Walkerton and North Battleford will be increasingly com mon. Letters to the Editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. All letters must be typed, signed and include the writer's address and phone number. Send to: Letters to the Editor, The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S4 Education tax credit contrary toprem ier's ow nw ords Ed. note: The follow ing letter was sent to Oakville MPP Garry Carr - a copy was also filed with the Oakville Beaver. I am w ritin g on b e h a lf o f Linbrook Public School's Council to protest Bill 45, a change that has been m ade w ithout any public input or knowledge. Offering tax vouchers for pri vate sch o o ls co m p letely goes against what Mike Harris promised in 1999, when he vowed never to use public funds for private educa tion. On May 18, 1999, during the leader's debate, Harris said, "Our priority is fixing the public educa tion system. Our priority is to stop the deterioration in the public edu cation system." Going against his own words L e tte r o f th e W e e k Bill would ra ise public sch o o l sta n d a rd s Bill 45, incorporating the "Equity ih Education Tax Credit" provision, is getting a bad name, even among those who approve. Typical media headlines include, "Private schools are inspected", "Religious leaders debate Bill 45", and so on. Interestingly, the Bill itself contains no such loaded w ords, re fe rrin g only to "elig ib le in d ep en d en t schools". This is no semantic nitpick. Words come with bag gage. Most of us will never read Bill 45. And the mental picture of a "private school" is o f wealthy, dolled-up young dandies getting out of their chaufferdriv en lim o s to tru d g e h ap p ily in to th e ir very WASPish classes. The mental picture of "religious school" is of uniformed little atomatons sitting in stunned silence, being brainwashed by fanatical far right idealogues. Please, let us stick with the wording of the Act: "eligible independent school". Such a school might well be religious, if only because many very conscien tious religious people, at heavy financial sacrifice, are already willing to pay twice in order to ensure that their kids escape the totally irreligious, relative-morality ambient of the public system. But an "eligible inde pendent school" could, and in the near future will, also be a school emphasizing hockey, or ballet, or phonic instruction, or computer technology, or whatever. The important thing to Ontario citizens is that the graduates of any such school meet or beat Ontario provincial scholastic standards and do not teach anything unwholesome. Just as importantly, such schools will enable thousands of low- to middle-income parents to choose the kind of school they want for their kids; and will, through honest competition and mutual good example, also raise standards in the public system. Most of the supposed disadvantages of independent schools are myths. They remind one of the words of Mark Twain, who said, "I have lived a long time and have had many troubles. Fortunately, most of them never happened." Frank Gue C a n a d a is n o t a C a th o lic c o u n tr y T h e re h a s b e e n a lo t o f debate about the tax credit for p riv a te sc h o o ls. T h e H a lto n D istrict School Board sent a let te r to the m in istry to o p p o se this credit. I w a n t to k n o w h o w in a p ro v in c e th a t fu n d s C a th o lic educatio n , anyone can oppose the governm ent helping fund all religious education. W h e n d id w e b e c o m e a C a th o lic c o u n try ? We are a bilingual country, but religion is not supposed to be part o f our governm ent. We are supposed to have equality o f religion and if Catholic school is paid for by the g o v e rn m e n t th e n all r e li gious schools should have pub lic f u n d in g . T h e U n ite d Nations stated that Ontario was violating human rights by main ta in in g a C a th o lic S c h o o l Board. If the only way to stop this injustice is to fund (by way o f a tax credit) all religious edu cation, then at least we have the e q u a lity o u r d e m o c ra c y d ic tates. I don't think we should fund an y r e lig io u s s c h o o ls an d I think that the fact that we have a p u b lic ly fu n d e d C a th o lic school board is an outrage. Religion is not a part o f our constitution and should not be part o f our education. Religious edu catio n should be a private fam ily m atter, and in no way belongs in the public domain. O ur children w ould benefit greatly if we only had to fund one school board. There would be a lot m ore funding fo r the classroom s and we desperately need that. That being said, our govern m ent d o es fu n d the C a th o lic school board and to deny any other government funds for reli gious education is prejudicial. Would it not be more appropri ate for the governm ent to give tax credits for religious educa tion than to give a tax credit for private schools. not only cause* complete distrust in the governm ent, it underm ines public education in Ontario, a pillar of strength for students of all levels and backgrounds, which is crum bling fast. With Bill 45, Harris is now demonstrating that his priority is in fact the private school system. In Ontario, it's now a survival of the richest when it comes to educa tion. It is almost inconceivable, the whole idea of tax dollars leaving the needs o f children and going into the pockets o f people who don't need them. How are these funds available w hen so m any schools across the province are in need o f renovations? How are these funds available when specific programs such as special education are in jeopardy due to a lack of funds? How are these funds avail able w hen the m oney fo r new schools m ust com e only at the expense of closing schools in older neighbourhoods? How are these funds available when schools are forced to use parent volunteers as librarians because the funding is not in place for full time staff? By allowing private schools to excel at the expense of the public system, the government is creating a tw o-tiered system where only those kids accepted by private schools, who admittedly turn away those with special needs or behav ioural problems, will benefit, leav ing scores of children with lots of potential but no alternatives, in the dust. In his ill-conceived publication. My Ontario, Premier Mike Harris, states that " ...the future o f our province is limited by the talents, aspirations and determination of our people." With Bill 45, Harris has created yet another lim ita tion...money. May the most pros perous succeed when it comes to education. This might be the next slogan for the Harris government. Art appreciation gets slap in the face Re: No nudes is good nudes at Town Hall - Oakx ille Beaver, Wednesday, June 6, 2001. What a sad commentary on the state of art appreciation in Canada today. Granted the Town has policies governing use of public space but the recent controversy over the hanging of art in Town Hall is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. While it is understandable the dilemma those entrusted with bringing art to the community face because of our Canadian penchant not to offend anyone, it underscores the general ignorance Canadians have towards art. To a certain degree this is not the publicis fault. Culturally we do not promote the understanding of art nor do we'make it an integral pan of our daily lives. This is not stated to be mean spirited but it is an honest observa tion o f the differences between how art is viewed in Canada versus how it is appreciated in Europe and other countries. In Europe nudes abound in town squares, spout water in fountains, rise majestically from pedestals, adorn public buildings, can be found in Churches in various countries and heaven help us are even found in the Vatican where bare buttock cherubs share the same canvas with saints. Further afield naked Greek Olympians are etched into stone and stand proud in public places. Great masterpieces, great works of art are cherished in many countries from the time children take their first stroll along a public promenade. They see sculptures such as the famous David, the half naked Little Mermaid, statues depicting the gods of war. the gods of love and they are all naked or near naked. And they are all exhibited in public places. Yes it is true these people are brought up differently. Have different cultural backgrounds and are given a differ ent education in which art appreciation forms one of the cornerstones of their culture. It would be ludicrous to think that any of these people would ever dream of removing a work of art from town square simply because it might offend. As an aside many Canadiams heritage originates from these very same countries. From my experience, as a full time artist working in Canada, those of us who dare to depict the human form in anything other than a cute Victorian dress, elaborate cos tume or at the least a bathing suit run the risk of being labeled unconventional, disturbed, twisted or at worst a pomographer. How sad. Years ago my m other used to hide the drawings I labored over in life drawing class when I was a student at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art. She was afraid my brothers or worse family friends might see them. Happily after years of having to deal with a son who brought some form of art appreciation into the family she is a little more tolerant. However she still frowns about the nude we have hanging in our bedroom. It was the only place I was allowed to hang it in our house. Which of course is another story that I wonft dwell on here. Sure it can be argued that there are certain people who find the show of flesh distasteful or immoral. Ifm sure it was true in Europe many years ago when the new nudes in the fountain were unveiled for the first time. Thereis even a story of how one of the Catholic Popes had clothing put on some of the naked figures in a painting commissioned years earlier by one of his predecessors. ( The overpainting has since been removed.) The argument that the paintings in Town Hall were removed because they would offend some of the visitors is in reality a two edged sword. What about the people who are offended because they have been removed? What about the thousands of artists and art lovers who can be offended because they can see beyond the raw flesh? (See `Masterpieces' page A7) Marsha Davies Shelly Sanders Greer Pud m e rte for lyins OK, A M D FLOATING peacefully onthe. W ATER. by Steve Nease