2 Friday, May 8, 2020 brooklintowncrier.com Less than half the picture: By Richard Bercuson Our chill pill Aside from German U-boats sneaking into the St. Lawrence during WW II, this country has never been invaded. We've not experienced war, famine, or widespread devastations like hurricanes or earthquakes on our turf. Moreover, school has also never really been an issue for anyone. So, witnessing children and parents limp through the last three months of this school year seems like being caught in a slow-moving tornado. It's hit or miss with online frustrations and screen time concerns, not to mention keeping everyone from scratching each other's eyes out. Here in the relative tranquility of Brooklin's lower east side, I ponder the challenges my son and his wife face in Boston. He's a teacher, she's working part time, naturally both from home, with four kids ages 7, 5, 3 and 1. They, too, are trying to avoid them all becoming dumber. Preventing them from inflicting damage on each other is another objective. His school nonsensically expects staff to merely transfer daily classroom lessons to Zoom. Many students mute the volume or turn off the video. Some don't even log in. His frustration has sort of paralleled the five stages of grief: Denial (you want us to do what?) - Anger (come on!) - Bargaining (hey class, how about you stay awake for five minutes?) - Sadness (I need a nap) - Acceptance (never mind. This is a mess.) Facetime calls have become a welcome distraction since the two older ones use the calls to play with iphone emojis. A half hour goofing about on screen with grandparents is a half hour less trying to contort the one year old into a pretzel. Besides, what does Grandpa look like with the head of a chicken? I told our son about TVO's clever "Dino Dan/Dana" series. But should we first explain to children that T-Rex was a carnivore and would have eaten kids? Spoiler alert: Don't let children see "Jurassic Park." Recall the guy devoured while on the toilet. The seven year old would rather play with his gazillion Legos than watch his teacher on a screen. Perhaps constructing a replica of the Statue of Liberty would keep him ahead of the architectural school curve. Instead, I see planes, houses and "bad guys." Oh well. And what if school continues to be impacted for another bunch of months in the fall? My son and I agree on this much: every kid on this continent will be equally ahead/behind in a couple of years. The priority for most families, like his, has as much to do with keeping kids happily busy and peaceful as it does for maintaining some semblance of an education. Perhaps more. During World War II, in bombed out cities throughout Europe, children couldn't attend school for months. And what of the poor souls who somehow survived years in the hundreds of Nazi concentration camps with no schooling at all? None. Zero. For years. As Goethe said, "Everything is hard before it is easy." These days, yes, it's hard. But one day... Brooklin Heritage Society Brooklin's Master Potters By Jennifer Hudgins For 35 years, Master Potters Susan and Ted Harlander, who immigrated from Germany after World War II, produced commissioned works for several private collections. Their ceramic designs are also included in public collections in the Canadian Museum of History Oshawa's Robert McLaughlin Gallery, the Art Gallery in Hamilton and the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. They had both completed a four-year program in Germany and obtained Master status in the Potter's Guild, an institution dating to the Middle Ages. While still in Germany, Susan also attended the Academy of Art for Sculpture in Stuttgart while Theo gained experience as a sculptor in Augsburg, Bavaria. In 1952, they purchased a 44 acre parcel of land with a century-old farm and former hotel on Baldwin Street, just south of Groveside Cemetery. By 1959, they had renovated the 16-room building into a residence and place of business. They furnished the studio with state of the art equipment imported from Germany while the house was outfitted with furniture they made themselves. The Harlander house became a center of ceramic art as well as a great gathering place at their Sunday afternoon parties for enthusiastic admirers and new visitors. It was at the Brooklin Studio that they established their craft to become well known among collectors worldwide. And where they continued to create pieces until 1987. Both were members of the Sculpture Society of Canada and Susan was a member of the Ontario Society of Artists. Their legacy lives on in their creative work as their brand, a molded oval studio mark with T. + S. Harlander, Brooklin, On., inscribed on the bottom of each piece. In the fall of 1995, Whitby's Sttion Gallery held an exhibition Form and Fantasy as a tribute to their contribution to the cultural life of Durham Region. Today, it is not uncommon to find hefty price tags attached to their outstanding ceramics. Durham & York Receive Emergency Amendment In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Regional Municipalities of Durham and York (the Regions) have received a temporary Emergency Amendment to the Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) at the Durham York Energy Centre (DYEC) to process an additional 20,000 tonnes of garbage, for an annual total of 160,000 tonnes of garbage until December 31, 2020. The ECA for the DYEC currently allows the facility to process up to a maximum of 140,000 tonnes per year. The DYEC, as currently constructed, can process an additional 20,000 tonnes of waste with the existing equipment. With a significant number of residents remaining at home, both Durham and York Regions are seeing an increase in the amount of garbage being placed at the curb. In response, Durham has relaxed garbage bag limits from four to six bags. The Regions will continue completing an Environmental Screening Process and an ECA amendment to increase the annual processing capacity at the DYEC from 140,000 tonnes per year to 160,000 tonnes per year, which began in 2019. The facility, as it exists, can process the additional materials while meeting the strict emissions limits set by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. The Regions anticipate completion of the Environmental Screening Process and subsequent ECA amendment during 2020. Durham Region has and will continue to make changes to waste programs to ensure physical distancing and to protect collection and waste management workers. Changes at the waste management facilities have also been implemented including allowing fewer residents to enter a facility at any given time.