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Page 6, WhlIhy Fr.. Pmss, Wednesday, March 20,1996 The only Newspaper owned and operated« by Whitby resîdents for Whitby resîdents! MEMBER 0F: CANADIAN ONTARIO COMMUNITY VRFIDCOMMUNITY NEWSPAPER CRUAIN N EWSPAPER ASSOCIATIONASOITN ISSN#0844-398X ASOITN Phoe: 668-61e Prsi Osrutfeeton: 1-800-668-0322 i WhibyBoug ,Andûm&Mesn ePlsherspbian commecia aurlti PifOhwajaxEditoerig&Pr ey. ACanda Mar+in Prosdu Ctinaa +ger Pnntised on Wnesrin witmin7um20% naioIc r.900lHo cotns t using06vegetabbasdrinks. N5S 0 ~Ali written material, illustrations and advertising contained hérein is protected by copyright. Any eproduction by an y means for commercial purposes without the express permission of Ihe newspaper isprohibited and is a violation of Canadian copyright law. Reproduction for non-commercial distribution shouid bear a credit Une to the Whitby Free.Press. Gone wrong To the editor: W. have service people and caregivers wallng pickçet lies and holding. railles In freezlng temperatures to -try to get thé provincial government ta listen to their crites for fair negotiations. Many af these people have been dedlcated workems for many years. They were hurt badly by Bob Rae and the-NDP and now 11k. Hartis, vlth tile experience, ls hurting them again. These' people are peacefully attemptlng ta get some attention from aur mgreene Premier while ho ls Iaughîng et them and making snlde remarks about their feeble attempts. What ls wrong wlth-this pcture? We hkave dedicated, determined, self-drken unlverslty stuents Miteraily damaglng the govemment buliding tjrln!t get Marris and'Snobelen' ttentot their dilemmas. AtI 19M wlth violence they gat more media attention ta their plight. Unfortunately, aur elected officiais aulîl did -not pay any attention ta their electorai body, Whatrs wrong wlth this picture? W. have hospitais and schools drastlcally cutting Important programas and services ln the name of budget-cutting ta heip wtth aur provincial defiit Arn IIgnorant ln thnrddng by cuttlng these programs, nameWr people, that we wU lb. --reslg the unemployed? How MI the drastic cuts affect the morale of the -remairing overworked workers and the effectivenessa af the bare- bones programs and services? W. MIl have a lot of unemployeslck and ýpoorly educated people out ln society. WhaVs wrang with this picture? W. have an elaborate school board office bullt where the new elementary schooi should b. and a new sohoalnamed C.E. Broughton being bulit where few people want I. The communky hadUtte sayiln itand continues ta talc ta deaf ears. We have parents parading their children araund this new unwanted schoî protesting iRs existencestiui ta deaf ears* What ls wrong whth this pictre? We have banks, home builders and priva. companles such as GM aetina wealtler while the health caregivers, as weii as the teachers who are respansibie for aur educated future, are getting poorer. Bob Rae'hit these areas very deeply durlng his reign and so are Harris and Snabelen. Why don'u they pick on th. profit-mangers for a change? What is wrong wlth this picture? We are building huge, monstrous house on tirry lots whlch happen ta, be part of the best farmland, ln aur area. Where Wl our food came from ln 2020? Haliburton? I reaize the tawns and cilles are dolng this ta faften up their tax base. There's more money ln tax-paig residents than ln com or peas. Unfortunately, the towns and cilles also have ta Increase their servces, Increaslng their expenditures. Corn and peas don't need many services. Al of these decisions have been made by aur so called elected representatives, who are suppased ta represent the peaple's views and concems. mhat le responsible government - responsible ta the people. Id really like ta knaWv who aur elected, politicians> are responsible ta. k certainly Isn't we, the people. What ls fk galng ta take ta get aur elected representatives, especially Harris nd Snobelen, ta pay attention ta, the people? Appraxlmately 100,000 freezing people peacefuîly picketed ln Hamilton just a few weeks ago, whlle Hats was warm and coz Inside, maklng sarcastic comments about the usmalr groupaif dessenters. Whars wrong wfth this PL-ture? Why càffi the people have a say ln the budget culs Ike the Town af Ajax did with Ils wrkers? WIth the eStar" program, os n money were saved andbudetswere decreased a lot mare palniessly than Hauts and Snobelen'is siash-and-bum tactics. Hamilton, Peel and Halton schaaî boards have just 'plnk sffpped hundreds af teachers due ta budget, cuts. What wifl happen ta the students? MII they disappear ar magicaliy educate themselves? I dont thlnk so. Hmo can they cut their system auÈ the maots? No plant I know of will grow wlthout its macts. What's wrong wtth this picture? Lynda Darling "Old" Brooklin To theedo.. An act Of 'Cruel ty To theeoditor:- We have now reached-the end c the third week of the OPSEU striko Patients -In provincial psychatt< hospital have suffered, mostly li silence, through, 19 days of a taboiu dispute whlch should neyer havE lnvotved themn. Psychiatrie patients have -beer warehoused, qlven Just bask medical and nursing car.. There hac. been na accupational therapy, psychology or social work, and flofE of the usual rehablitauive ai recreation prograins. The consequences of this negledi vary fromn patent to patient. Same ~lents areregresslng Into Inauvity, redom adap?thy. Others, are beoming frustrated and aggresslve; ln the absence of alternative treatment to diffuse tension, these patients require more medication. The elderly and pheically, frai are Peopie hurting To the editor: People af Durham, how can I touch your hearts? I want to share the pain and sorrow I see and hea every day. People are hurting ln our communidies and surrounding areas. People have tnied to MiI themselves because of the, pressure of not knowing where their next meailIs omlng from. W. spend over $300 a month ln lin goods. k daesn't take an y Urne ta go through, our suppiy with ai the referrals w. get - Its extremely difficult when people get so depressed they give up. They try to end Rt ai by taking pis to stop the pain and hunger. Years ago I waîked in their shoes and I pray thatrno one wiIl have to go through tis klnd of pain. That's why I have dedlcated myseif ta he1p others. Sa please, help me feed'the hungry and keep gîing them the courage they need to g o on. We are a p"ae registered chanty.* W. do not get any help from Toronto or Oshawa when tIley ollect food.We depend on churches,. schools and IndMduals for heîp. SReceatscan belssued and we wilî pick Up il! need be. W. are a' n'on- denominational charity. W. need people 0 f ail religions anid backgrounds, rnch and poor to help. Sharon lies H.ekpmg Hondo Food Bank conflned to their beds for lqnge p erods, which Increases the rlsk of cmsoies and pneumonia. Outl-pats are sufferlng beae of a Iakof- regular. contact with famiNea case.vwarkers. They're a190 sufferng from ,the.,absence *0f communlty-based- programs, which' provide structure and support to pepewith long- term mental illness. Same out-patients have been recammitted to acute car. hospitals, while others are phonlng dally ta plead for an end to, the strike..Many more are quletiy deterloraling ln group homes and boardlng homes. I cal upon both sides ln the labour IIT ta *pubic^, ckowiedge the su #erlng endured lby th is unerable group. I ýurge the 'provincial government .and OPSEU ýta ind ways ta -allevIae the, suffedng' lmpoped ' - pon people who are ai adn lected, marginalzed and Wtthdrawing services tramthe sevely .mentally Ilii ls an -act -0f crueWt ta a group 0f Innocent, powerless. lndMvduals. RIt ime for thîs cruefty ta end. Dr. Peter, Prendergast Psychiatrint-ln-chlef. end eclînical dlrÏàto " Whltby Mental Health Centre To the editoir: Th. Durham public school board has marketed the madlfted schoal calendar for Ive years and unlike p0rograms such as French knmeovalSn,, motan.eparent gmoup has endarsed the Initiative.i Naw ta gain aur support,- staff ,have crossed OUh"a boundarles and put the safdety 'Youth violenoe a.,problem' To the edilor: Re:. Article, Vath slashed,' Free Press, March 13. Myson was the Innocent victlm 0f this vlious, unpravaked assauft. The youth charged cannot b. named because 0f tihe Young Offenders Act Th. suspect took a knlfe and Ieft my son wfthý an 18-Inch slash across Ns baclcwhlch required 29 staples and elght stitches. Sergeant KIm Bullock 0f Durham Rginai Poaie assured my husband and I that aur son dld nothlng. ta pravake this assaut Youth violence le a problem ln Durham Reglon and wfl continue unless there are serlaus changes made ta the Young Offenders Act. Perhaps the doctar wha attended my sonat the haspital summed Rup best when she, sald: *Na. on. deserves ta have this happen t them.e My onwasanInnocent vkctm ofai "Ylos ssutSly, I know wiIl mit be the iast. and wil beng ai aur childre n ai lsK The foloWng are the true tacts about the Inçeto f h e Bmoughton.sc'hoal:,, 1. Crass-boundary chlldren are avercrowAdng aur chools but aur children Wi have ta leave their home aschools ta salve the problem.' 2. Staff have mldsled aur trustees since 1991 by not saylng that ýat least 80 per cent of parents' attendlng consultatIon meetings vehemently opposedthe new achool site and the Modfed pmogram. 3. Consultation meetings were carefuly pianned wfth staff ln the audiences and ane-slded marketing presentations. Staff publicly, wllhot permission, gave out addresses of ail affected Pringle Creek chlldren for an opinion poU and recrited lchîldren for a floa ln the tawn Christmas parade --a clear vioation 0f prlvacy, safety and politIcal use of students. 4. Th. achool staff hlrlng teamn hlred the prlncipal's spouse and the vie-prlipal's spouse - a clear confiât of Intqrest and poor businès practice. 5. Staff are asklng, parents ta drive theïr children ta achool ta, Increase1 trafflc. congestion au' Crawfairth'and Anderson so the Reglan WHII nstal llghts - a great example of praolve'planning and priarizlng of student safety. As a parent, I have awy tle ta have a gaod Ywarklng relatiosnshlp with my chldren's school and schaol board. kRle cleauly shattered. I don't want my child tago to aschool that she cantsafely walkta or ta beln a program tuat ls playtng second flddle ta the modifild school calendar and -ln a bîased atmosphere. Least of ait,1ldan% wantmy chld spift off trom .her communty sohool and frlends, that t'as-a faundng parent cd Pringle Creek achool, warked hard for her ta, have. Angela Fountain Whltby 'Shattered'