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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 14 ,2 01 8 | 20 Catholic," said Barel, a student at St. Ignatius of Loyola high school in Oak- ville. "Make decisions and come to conclusions that are supported by Catholi- cism. Set a strong and in- herently Catholic example for students and staff tofor students and staff tof follow. Don't be flimsy, befollow. Don't be flimsy, bef courageous." The Sanctity of Life mo- tion led to a lengthy list of banned charities which in- It's not easy being pro- life high school student -- even at Catholic school. But sometimes, says Grade 11 student Kelty Ba- rel, you have to stand up for what you believe in,for what you believe in,f even when it's unpopular. Barel shared her views with the Halton Catholic District School Board on June 5, urging them to continue to support the controversial Sanctity of Life motion. Passed in Feb- ruary, it halted school fundraising or donationsfundraising or donationsf for charities that support,for charities that support,f "either directly or indi- rectly, abortion, contra- ception, sterilization, eu- thanasia or embryonic stem-cell research." The directive is currently on hold after community members complained they weren't asked for input. Barel spoke passionate- ly about her belief that love is at the core of the pro-life movement, saying God commands Catholics to care for the less fortu- nate among them. She en- couraged trustees to fol- low the faith instead of those who suggest the charity ban is inappropri- ate. "Take pride in being cluded the Canadian Can- cer Society and Sick Kids hospital. After much back- lash, trustees suspended the ban May 1 so they could gather more com- munity feedback. The con- sultation period ended June 1. In her speech to the trustees, which was met with loud applause from a packed house, Barel de- scribed a school environ- ment where "faith-filled" Catholic students are be- ing discriminated against by their peers for support- ing the motion. "In reli- gion class... a boy started talking about how terrible pro-lifers are and how he wanted to start a pro- choice club. "Barel wasn't the only speaker trying to convince the trustees to stick with their initial decision. To- ronto priest Father Ter- rence McKenna decried Toronto Catholic schools that continue to donate to organizations that act against the faith's beliefs, calling the Halton Catho- lic board "pioneers" in en- acting the policy. "It is this board that has really brought the story to the fore," he said on June 5. "The Sanctity of Life mo- tion displays leadership in calling schools, parents, teachers and students to ponder and apply Chris- tian criteria when making decisions. "The community at large, however, appears somewhat divided on the issue. At the board's previ- ous meeting, delegate Moi- ra McQueen -- director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute -- spoke from the other side. from the other side. f "The church does not withdraw from all organi- zations where it does not approve of all of their ac- tions, such as the United Nations," said McQueen, a lawyer with a PhD in mor- al theology. "It supports some motions and rejects others and has witness value in being a voice for peace and justice. "The trustees will re- ceive a staff report on the community's input at their June 19 meeting, the last of the school year. At that time, they can choose to vote on the motion or re- ceive the report as infor- mation and leave the ban on hold. EDUCATION Student urges Halton trustees to uphold charity ban: 'Take pride in being Catholic' Grade 11 student Kelty Barel told Catholic trustees to stand up for what they believe in, even when it's unpopular. SAIRA PEESKER sairapeesker@metroland.com "Make decisions and come to conclusions that are supported by Catholicism. Set a strong and inherently Catholic example for students and staff to follow. Don't be flimsy, be courageous." -Kelty Barel to feed his addiction. Staff Sgt. Brad Murray will have to perform 240 hours of community ser- vice work, which Justice David Harris suggests ought to include speak- ing to community groups about the perils of addic- tion. MILTON A Halton po- lice drug officer has been handed a conditional dis- charge and three years probation after pleading guilty to stealing opioids from the evidence lockerfrom the evidence lockerf Murray, who is sus- pended with pay - the on- ly option available to po- lice chiefs in Ontario - is convicted of one count of breach of trust related to the theft of drugs be- tween August 27, 2015 and April 30, 2016. Four other charges initially laid against the veteran offi- cer have been with- drawn. Murray still faces dis- ciplinary charges under the Police Services Act. Halton Regional Police Service has said it is seeking Murray's dis- missal. CRIME Halton officer gets conditional discharge, probation for stealing opioids SUSAN CLAIRMONT sclairmont@thespec.com Halton Regional Police Staff Sgt. Brad Murray Graham Paine,Metroland