The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Se a Reader's_comments. Parents' fears realized by FLEC decision Dear Editor: As a parent of a student registered for Grade 9 at Ecole Secondary Pene- tanguishene Secondary School my greatest fears have been realized! I wrote earlier about con- cerns regarding the .ex- isting French language program at ESPSS and whether or not the French Language Education Coun- cil (FLEC) would interfere with the status of this French language program or whether FLEC would work to enhance it. Well, the news is not good! Firstly, the Grade 9 Registration forms from Ecole publique Saint- Joseph have not reached ESPSS. They are Ae: held back! Secondly, as most-of us suspected and feared, FLEC has chosen to phase out the French language program at ESPSS. Read the report and in the end, it means only one thing - This town will lose the bil- Waterfront plan commended Dear Editor: I attended both public meetings for the propesed development of the _Midland waterfront. I would like to compliment the Midland politicians for having the foresight to develop a committee to study this exciting situa- tion. I would also like to congratulate the committee for the excellent concep- tual presentation they made and thank them for the time and effort that went into the study. The presentation was on- ly conceptual, but at least it is the beginning as we look ahead to the long range plans for our har- bour which is the gateway to the finest fresh water boating in the world. I trust our present council can give the encouragement necessary for the Water- front Development Com- mittee to continue to pur- sue the feastibility of these ideas in the hands of the Federal and Provincial governments, and last but not least the people of Midland. Yours sincerely, Jim Worts Typical council behaviour Dear Editor: I don't suppose I should really be writing this. After all, I'm not directly involv- ed. However, the people who are qualified to ex- press these thoughts, those with the deepest insight, generally go about their business without fanfare or complaint. My wife is one of those people. Over the past dozen years, she has conttibuted © thousands of volunteer hours with several boards in the Midland area. She isn't the only one to do this. You probably have yourself - or your spouse; a relative; a friend; a neighbour. Let's face it! Volunteers are the core of municipalities like Midland. How could we function without the hundreds of in- dividuals willing to sit on boards, to canvas for the Cancer Society, to act as Big Brothers or to organize Girl Guide packs etc? And you volunteers out there, like my wife, don't ask for monetary compen- sation for all the hours you put in. You don't request travel accounts, expense- paid holidays or your name in headlines. All any volunteer asks for is the opportunity to help the community. You can imagine then, how my wife and the other members of the- Midland Library Board felt last week when some members of the Town Council flood- ed the local newspapers and radio station with an attack on the Board's integrity. The Library Board did not receive even the minimal respect of a general discussion of the issues before the council went public. Instead, headlines and newscasts blared accusations long before the first meeting bet- @ ween the two groups (4:30 p.m., Thursday, February } 26). At issue here is not the | Library Board's actions. Others are better qualified to discuss that. The basic issue here is how the members of that Board were treated by certain members of the Town - Council. How can the members of the Midland Town Council expect the community's support in the numerous and vital voluntary posi- tions if they don't give these people even a modicum of respect? Has the Council become so used to mud-slinging and __integrity-bashing within its own member- ship that it knows no other way to handle an issue? Yours sincerely, Bryan Ostrowski Rotary auction a success Dear Editor: Allow me to express sincere thanks on behalf of the Midland Rotary Club for your cooperation in the promotion and publicity of this year's auction. The Midland Rotary Club is pleased to have the opportunity to produce an annual television/radio auction. However, without the support of the entire community including your newspaper it would not be possible. You were generous in Big sisters give thanks Dear Editor: On behalf of the Big Sisters Association of Huronia I would like to thank everyone who made the recent Big Sisters Week such a success, particular- ly the town of Midland for naming February 7 - 14 Big Sisters Week, and the editor and staff of the Midland Times for. pro- viding such excellent coverage of the event. We were also most grateful for the cooperation of CKMP, McLean Hunter Cable TV, and the manage- ment of Mountainview Mall. Through publicity generated during Big Sisters Week, we hope to match some of the little ' sisters presently unmatch- ed with a much needed Big Sister. Once again, thanks to everyone who helped in any way. Yours sincerely, Big Sisters Association of Huronia Mary Rose McCreath _providing extensive coverage both prior to and after the auction. Almost $25,000 was rais- ed by the Midland Rotary Club. The net proceeds of the auction go towards the continuing community and international work of the Midland Rotary Club. Thank you for your part in the success of this year's auction. ingual status of its renown- ed high school - ESPSS - if the decision is left up to FLEC. We must not sit back and let this happen. As parents and citizens of this community, we must make the Simcoe County Board of Education aware of our true feelings regarding this latest move by FLEC. We must make the board (because FLEC is Brown bag day part of the board) realize that this is not the wish of the majority - that the peo- ple of this community want French Language courses at ESPSS to be continued and that the unique bil- ingual status of ESPSS ful- ly satisfies their needs and wished for their children's bilingual education. FLEC has no right to take away what we have worked so The Midland Rotary Club usually meets in the Highland Inn. Last week, the club convened in the empty wing of Huronia District Hospital. The money usually spent on a meal at the Highland was donated to eradicating polio in the world. Rotarians brought Children will hever attend LeCaron Dear Editor: We read "FLEC phases out French at ESPSS". As our son will be attending ESPSS in 1987-88 from St Joseph's, we are deeply concerned not just for our son's French education, but of our two daughter's following him. By choice, ESPSS will be the school all three of our children will be attending. My husband speaks French but I do not. I was born in Toronto but was raised here from the age of 10, was married here, had our children here and will probably die here. But I made my decision that all Yours very truly, my children would learn to F. W. Hacker, Q. C. Tiny-Tay Agricultural Society Is Holding Their Annual Meeting March * 8 p.m. 414 King St. Midland OLD & NEW MEMBERS WELCOME speak French and they have done well. Our FREEDOM OF CHOICE is that they learn French, but not have it shoved down our throats, which has been happening ever since LeCaron was built. We really needed another school in Penetang, like we need World War 3. LeCaron's_ declining enrolment should indicate to FLEC the people's choice of not attending that school. Yet an addition is being built and ESPSS loses French education to FORCE our children to LeCaron to save face for FLEC and ll ae, A Wallcovering Sale March 2-31 SKIBA design 579 Bay Street Midland . hard to achieve! What we must do is - in- vite the members of the board to a public forum in Penetanguhishene - we must be heard! In the meantime, I would urge all parents and con- cerned citizens who op- pose this latest move by FLEC to contact their board trustee and make their views. known. Madeleine Dubeau Editors Note: ESPSS guidance Councillor David Paille went to St. Joe's School on February 20 to pick up the registra- tion forms. Mr. Paille was told the registration forms were not available until the FLEC made an an- nouncement of their deci- sion about the French courses at ESPSS. their lunch to the meeting. Rotarian, and HDH board chairman, Arnie DeCarli, holds some of the lunch bags. The club will be considering whether to donate to the HDH fundraising campaign. payer's money directed there. We are not afraid to say, in print, our children will NEVER attend LeCaron even if they have to lose their French. And so FLEC, our God- given right is to chose French so as to help their future, not to have French shoved down our throats. Naturally when something is shoved down our throats with no choice, we automatically fight back. Our children will be the future "leaders", if you will, of our country, so please do not make up their minds for them. FLEC, we do not agree or support you or LeCaron. Hopefully more parents and children will support our feelings. You are not working with us, the peo- ple. Rather you, FLEC, are forcing your views on us and that is a definate NO NO. A Penetang family - Sandy Dubeau, Steven, Stacey and Sonya. the tax-> NOTICE Interruption Cable TV Service Cable service will be interrupted Thursday morning, March 5, 1987 (1 a.m.-8 a.m.) while routine maintenance and improvements are made to our microwave transmitters. EN vy Cable 526-5031 Maclean Hunter TV Tuesday, March 3, 1987, Page 7